Chelsea legend Joe Cole has poor cold water on Tottenham Hotspur's current standing among the Premier League's elite, as he believes they must win trophies to be remembered.
Mauricio Pochettino's side reached the final of the Champions League last term but lost against Liverpool in Madrid, which extended the club's trophy-less spell to 11 years.
That is despite improving significantly under Pochettino's tenure, with the Argentine boss establishing himself as one of the best managers in the world, while the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have become global superstars.
However, that will all count for very little if Spurs do not lift trophies in the near future, Cole believes, having reached the peak of what they can achieve without silverware to show for it.
“I’m a romantic when it comes to that kind of thing. I think winning a trophy is the main thing,” he told Talksport.
“I think of myself and the days we won things [at Chelsea]. I don’t think of the times where we got to the quarter-finals of a competition and we played well or we got to the last four.
“You remember the days, as a fan and as a player, when you go to Wembley and win things.
“I think Spurs as a club have been ran fantastically well for the last 10 to 15 years.
“They’ve developed and come on a bundle, but I feel like if I’m working for Spurs now I’d be saying to those lads you’ve got that experience under your belt now, you’ve had this great run [to the Champions League final].
“You’re already getting older so now’s the time, if they’re going to be a proper team, to put some silverware on the table.”
