Gerry Francis has advised Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino to start winning trophies at the club.
During his three-year stint in North London, the Argentine has converted Spurs into genuine title contenders, guiding the club to a top two finish last season for the first time in Premier League history.
Spurs have also managed to secure qualification to the Champions League for two seasons in a row, and they could be perceived as candidates for the competition after beating current holders Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley Stadium last week.
Pochettino has also turned a core of England youngsters into household names with Dele Alli and Harry Kane likely to pose the biggest attacking threat for the national team in next year’s World Cup in Russia.
Tottenham currently find themselves level on points with Manchester United in third position in the league table but they are eight points adrift table topping Manchester City.
Speaking in an interview with the Times, former Spurs manager Francis praised the way in which Pochettino has turned around the club’s fortunes but he has advised that silverware is now a necessity.
“He has put together a very good team, but what he needs now is trophies,” he said.
“You can have two or three fantastic years, then have a sticky spell and the pressure is on, because people panic in the Premier League now.
“They are capable of challenging for things.”
OPINION
Tottenham have been very unfortunate in their recent bids to clinch the Premier League title for the time in the club’s history. During the 2015-16 campaign, Leicester City produced one of the most remarkable stories in football history and strolled to the title whilst Antonio Conte masterminded Chelsea’s success last season in emphatic fashion. Spurs have arguably been the most consistent team over the past two years but they have been up against unstoppable forces, and it appears that the trend will continue with Pep Guardiola’s City team. Pochettino should really focus on winning a cup competition in order to generate a winning mentality amongst the players which will enable them to build in the future.