Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino had a firm warning about selling players last year.
Speculation is increasing about the future of Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld, after The Times reported they will be open to a sale this summer.
Last summer the prospect of signing him was just a pipe dream to rival clubs, and manager Mauricio Pochettino had stern words for interested clubs.
Speaking last April, Pochettino dared clubs to try and negotiate for the defender, warning them they would not get any bids past chairman Daniel Levy.
He told The Independent: “I invite the clubs who want players from Tottenham to visit the training ground and meet our chairman. Nobody has doubts about Toby, no.
“Some clubs are interested in some players. It’s very clear they need to knock on the door of Daniel Levy.”
It was a statement intended to deter potential suitors, and for the large part it worked, with Alderweireld staying along with key man Harry Kane.
But Tottenham were open for business over full-back Kyle Walker, who was controversially allowed to quit the club.
Tottenham ended up selling for a British record fee for a defender, and it would take a sizeable offer to deal Alderweireld this summer.
The sale of Walker indicated that despite Pochettino’s warning, negotiating with Levy was not quite the impossible task he had intended for it to sound.
Walker had begun to be squeezed out of Tottenham’s first XI, and despite Alderweireld’s talent, Spurs have shown in recent months that they can get by without him.
Clubs are likely to see negotiating with Levy as an opportunity this summer, with Pochettino’s warning not carrying quite the same weight a year on.
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