Jermaine Jenas has highlighted the uncertainty over the futures of key players as the main cause of disharmony in the Tottenham Hotspur ranks.
Fresh from their 7-2 mullering by Bayern Munich in midweek, it was another dreadful day at the office for Spurs as they were beaten 3-0 by Brighton on the south coast.
Goals Neal Maupay and a brace from Adam Connolly condemned Mauricio Pochettino's side to a third Premier League defeat of the season after only eight games.
With so much speculation around so many of the club's star players, it's little surprise Tottenham have made such a disjointed start to the season.
Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are all out of contract in the summer and could leave the club for free.
On January 1, all three are allowed to speak to European clubs and sign a pre-contract for next season, which would be a massive blow to Pochettino's plans.
Similarly, the future of Danny Rose has been uncertain. The Englishman looked likely to leave north London in the summer after being left out of Spurs' pre-season tour, only for him to stay and maintain his spot as first-choice left-back.
Jenas believes that the uncertainty surrounding so many players, which in turn has put question marks over Pochettino's future, has caused disharmony in the dressing room and is the key reason behind their dreadful form in 2019.
Speaking to BT Sport as part of their punditry team for Tottenham's game against Brighton, he said: “Motivation is a big issue. I’m looking at players like Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, who are two of the most professional players by the way, but if I was them and I could talk to clubs in January but Spurs are not committed to them, why am I committing to you?
“Spurs aren’t showing that they want them even though they have given half of their careers. It’s the same for Eriksen and Danny Rose. There are too many of those players in the team who are in the starting XI. I think it creates poor harmony in the changing room.
“It’s so difficult for a manager to manage that situation. He needs motivated players and hungry players and young players that a driven towards the same goal.”
