Mauricio Pochettino says there is no point Tottenham trying to sign the top players in Europe as they cannot pay the same salaries as the wealthiest clubs.
Tottenham will finish second in the table this season, their highest finish in the Premier League era. For the second successive season, they have qualified for the group stages of the Champions League.
In Pochettino, Tottenham have one of the most highly-rated managers in the game, as well as a number of top-class players. They have a state-of-the-art training base and hope to move into a 61,559-seat stadium in 2018-19.
Yet Pochettino believes these factors count for little if Tottenham can simply be outbid by clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City on players’ wages.
Asked whether Spurs’ transfer targets must be different from those of United, Chelsea or City, Pochettino replied: “Yes, of course. You know better than me it is so difficult. People say: ‘If Tottenham are in the Champions League, it will be more attractive.'
“But then it's all about if you pay or not! When we talk about top players, we have unbelievable facilities but if another club is paying double the salary, then how can you convince them? Do you agree? We cannot lie to you.
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“That is the reality. You need younger players, like Dele Alli, who preferred to come here [when he signed from MK Dons in January 2015] rather than go to another club. We took a big risk on Dele Alli and now he is a massive player, one of the most important in England. But who took the risk? We did.”
Tottenham’s best players are the subject of interest elsewhere, but Pochettino says the club do not have to sell anyone they currently wish to keep. Kyle Walker, who knows he could double his £70,000-a-week salary elsewhere, is a target for Manchester City.
