Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino watched Atletico Madrid against Real Betis.
Tottenham Hotspur were in action on Saturday afternoon as they beat Cardiff City 1-0 in an unconvincing display, giving Mauricio Pochettino much to consider on Sunday.
The Argentine will have been contemplating his side’s less-than-impressive display, and he seemingly had little interest in the Premier League’s big game of the day as Liverpool took on Manchester City.
Instead, Pochettino went over to Spain, and Marca captured a photo of him at the Wanda Metropolitano for Atletico Madrid’s clash with Real Betis in La Liga.
Pochettino, alongside assistant Jesus Perez and goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez, watched on as Atletico claimed all three points, with Angel Correa scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win for the hosts.
Many will be left wondering just why Pochettino was there. Spurs aren’t scheduled to play Atletico in Europe this season, it’s hardly just down the road from Spurs, and even if Pochettino returned to Spain, he is more likely to head back to Barcelona having enjoyed strong ties with Espanyol.
That will leave fans thinking that Pochettino and co were there for scouting purposes, with Tottenham no doubt in the market for new signings in January after a poor summer window – and two Betis players stick out.
The first is goalkeeper Pau Lopez, who spent the 2016-17 season on loan with Spurs having come through the Espanyol ranks under Pochettino, before heading back to Spain and starring, eventually making a move to Betis over the summer.
Hugo Lloris is enduring poor form and Michel Vorm is out of contract this summer, meaning Lopez could and should be back on Tottenham’s radar as he continues to impress in Spain, and the fact that goalkeeping coach Jimenez was there may just hint that Spurs are keeping tabs on his development.
The other player that Spurs should be looking at is Betis left back Junior Firpo. Born in the Dominican Republic but representing Spain at Under-21 level, Firpo burst onto the scene last season, and has become one of Europe’s top young left backs with great pace and crossing ability.
Either player could potentially problem positions for Spurs in the future, and whether Pochettino was there to watch them or not, they should be on the Tottenham radar moving forward.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
