Pochettino laughs off ‘stupid’ rumour he could leave Spurs
London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino insists he will still be in charge of the Champions League finalists come what may in the North London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.
Rumours had swirled around social media that the enigmatic Argentine, now in his sixth season in charge of Spurs, could walk out after a shock 1-0 defeat by Newcastle last weekend.
Pochettino complained after that match that his squad is unsettled with the futures of Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld uncertain as they have entered the final year of their contracts.
But he is set to stay and said he also had clear the air talks with chairman Daniel Levy, who has been criticised for not backing Pochettino more heavily in the transfer market.
“That stupidity can happen through some rumour sent into social media that creates a big problem that doesn’t exist. I’m not going to walk away after the north London derby,” said Pochettino on Friday.
Tottenham did break their club record transfer fee to bring in midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon in June and added Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon on the final day of the transfer window.
Yet, that investment is unlikely to be enough to close the gap on Premier League champions Manchester City and Liverpool, who beat Spurs in the Champions League final in June.
Pochettino has consistently called on Levy to release the funds to take Tottenham to the next level, but said his personal relationship with his boss is not affected by those frustrations in the transfer market.
“I was with Daniel and (assistant manager) Jesus (Perez) at dinner in London,” added Pochettino.
“We talked about everything. We needed that conversation, I think it was very positive.
“The most important thing is to help the club, the team’s performance on the pitch, to be on the same page and make sure the communication is clear.
“It doesn’t change our personal relationship. Of course sometimes our vision on the professional side cannot be the same.
“Sometimes we can have some disagreement but the most important is the personal relationship is still strong.”