Glenn Hoddle was one of the finest midfielders to pull on a Tottenham Hotspur shirt and he needed take a breath before telling football.london his opinion on Moussa Sissoko.
The Frenchman has won plenty of plaudits for his transformation this season, going from the fans' scapegoat as he struggled to adjust to life at the club in the seasons after his then club record £30m move from Newcastle to one of the first names on manager Mauricio Pochettino's teamsheet.
Sissoko's driving runs and ability to break up opposition play and help in the transitions from defence to attack have played a key role in Spurs' run to the Champions League final and a fourth consecutive top four finish in the Premier League
When BT Sport expert Hoddle was asked about the midfielder he took a big breath, had a long think about his answer before replying: "How can I put it? He's improved, of course he has. It's a tough one.
"He has improved and he's had a great season for him. I still see a lot of things that he misses out on and doesn't do and for me as a midfield player there's a lot of things he needs to improve on to be in that first XI for Tottenham in the coming future."
One person Hoddle believes will be a key fixture at the club next season is Pochettino, despite the recent talk about his future and perhaps leaving the club is they win the Champions League final against Liverpool on June 1.
"He might just be boxing clever a bit. What I know from behind the scenes at the club there has been money available, there will be money available in the summer," the former Spurs manager told football.london.
"If he wins or loses, this is something he has been building and if he goes off to some of these other clubs being spoken about it's a rebuild, instantly it's a rebuild at a lot of clubs now.
"He'll be looking back at the five years he's had and if they win [the final] I think he's suddenly jumped to the top of the tree. He's the creme de la creme, but he would like to go for the Premier League [title] and get the consistency of challenging himself and the team, with the new stadium and that stand, the training ground, the squad, a better squad in the summer and buying better players, maybe not better but stronger players for a deeper squad."
Hoddle added: "It's all there. He'd have to start from scratch from these other clubs. I think he's the type of guy who takes pride in what he's doing and if he gets the right players in then he could do it the other way around if they win.
"If they lose I think it will drive him on. They still haven't won a trophy. Tottenham Hotspur have got a problem with winning finals and that why he hasn't won anything yet.
"It will be fascinating if he goes straight to the top and wins the Champions League, but I don't see him resting on his laurels and going off. He'll have other challenges to develop a consistent level of success at Tottenham. That will be his next challenge."
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