Several Tottenham players were shocked after hearing Mauricio Pochettino’s comments that suggested his future might not be at the club, according to the Evening Standard.
The London-based newspaper claim that players were shocked to hear Pochettino say “Tottenham need more time, with me or another” after the club crashed out of the FA Cup courtesy of Manchester United on Saturday.
The Evening Standard report that Pochettino’s current contract sees him earn £5.5million-a-year, which is approximately £105,769-a-week, and that it doesn’t expire until 2021.
It is believed that Spurs are likely to offer him a new deal in the coming weeks as they are delighted with his work.
The newspaper’s report goes onto state that some of Spurs key players, such as Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris and Jan Vertonghen, consider Pochettino’s presence at the club to be fundamental to the side achieving success.
Due to this the Evening Standard suggests that if the players suspect their manager has doubts about his future then they themselves will be reluctant to sign a new contract with the club.
OPINION
The Evening Standard really make a lot of assumptions by implying the domino effect Pochettino’s departure would have on the club. While the newspaper is no doubt right about players like Kane, Alli and Christian Eriksen potentially getting higher wages elsewhere, there’s no need to assume that Pochettino’s exit would cause stars to follow him out the door. Also based on the newspaper’s report it seems more than likely that any issue regarding Pochettino will soon blow over, as the club clearly still see their future with him in charge. The Spurs manager may be voicing his frustration with bizarre comments following the disappointment of missing out on the FA Cup, but surely he doesn’t mean too much by them.