Mauricio Pochettino appeared to suggest that his future at Tottenham Hotspur is linked to how the club approach the summer transfer window, as he called upon the chairman, Daniel Levy, to “be brave and take risks”.
The manager has been permitted to spend £40.25m in net terms on permanent transfer deals across his four seasons at Tottenham and he has delivered a third consecutive top-three finish and Champions League qualification.
From a position of strength, Pochettino sent a message to Levy that sounded suspiciously like an ultimatum: if the club want to take the next step to the biggest trophies, they have to invest more lavishly in top signings.
Pochettino was asked whether he would definitely be at the club next season. He had been asked the same question last Friday and, once again, he gave an ambiguous answer.
“I repeat from my last press conference – today, 100% I feel that I am here,” he said. “But the most important thing is that tomorrow all can change because it’s not in my hands.”
Pochettino needed no second invitation to enter into great detail about how the club could improve. “I have very clear ideas of what we need to do,” Pochettino said. “I don’t know if the club will agree with me or not. We are going to talk next week to create the new project. It is a little bit up to Daniel and the club to agree with us.
“If we want to be real contenders for big trophies, we need to review a little bit the thing. We need to create dreams that will be possible to achieve. Maybe we are a bit disappointed and frustrated because now we are close [to trophies].
“I think Daniel is going to listen to me, of course. You need to be brave. Being brave is the most important thing and take risks. I think it’s a moment that the club needs to take risks and tries to work, if possible, harder than the previous season to be competitive again, because every season will be more difficult. It’s not only the big clubs. The clubs in behind us like Everton, West Ham or Leicester – they are working so hard to be close to the top six.”
