Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has poured cold water on the links to free agent striker Giuseppe Rossi.
The 31-year-old striker, who won 29 caps with Italy and played for Newcastle and Man United, had been linked with a move to north London in various reports.
However, in his pre-match press conference, Pochettino took the unusual step of addressing a transfer rumour directly saying, “It’s a rumour but, if you ask me, I think no, it’s not a possibility.”
#thfc Pochettino on Giuseppe Rossi: “It’s a rumour like another but if you ask me, I think no, it’s not a possibility.” Poch also reflects on 5-year anniversary of arrival in England: “It’s like the 10-year challenge. Jesus [Perez] showed me a video and I looked so much younger.”
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) January 18, 2019
OPINION
That’s another name that Tottenham fans can scrub off the list. Rossi seemed like a good fit and he is currently without a club after leaving Genoa in the summer. The issue of Harry Kane is a big one, but it’s been exacerbated by the loss of Son to the Asian Cup, and the fact that Lucas Moura is still out injured. That leaves Pochettino with just Fernando Llorente as an option for Sunday’s game against Fulham, and he’ll have a big chance of proving that he deserves to stay at Tottenham and help them fight for a top-four place this season. There are also rumours that Troy Parrott could be promoted up to the first-team squad and it would be fascinating to see him come off the bench and make his debut for Spurs at the age of just 16. Tottenham’s big concern was always an injury to their star striker. That it’s happened now is just really bad luck for Pochettino and Tottenham fans. It leaves the Premier League looking like a two-horse race.