Poyet: We will sign big names

Adrian Curtis13 April 2012

Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet today quashed claims that failure to qualify for Europe next season would prevent manager Glenn Hoddle attracting quality players to White Hart Lane.

Hoddle will find out the size of his transfer kitty this week but has already identified a number of potential targets including French striker Christophe Dugarry, England forwards Kevin Phillips, of Sunderland, and Michael Ricketts, of Bolton.

Uruguayan Poyet, who joined Spurs from Chelsea for £1.5million last summer, believes Hoddle will not have problems in persuading other stars to sign for the club.

"It is up to us and to Glenn to convince players to come to the club," he said. "We want to play attractive football and get better and better. I have no control over the money but I know we will still convince the good players to come here.

"Sometimes a club will only buy one big star in the summer but it is the right one at the right time for success."

The midfielder added: "This club is moving forward and one game has made the difference to how people look at our season - the Worthington Cup Final.

"We didn't win that game and people look at things differently. But we cannot throw everything else out of the window because of that. You only have to look at the way everyone wrote off Manchester United's title chances last November to see how things can change. So we do not give up either."

Poyet was quick to deny that he and some of the older players in Hoddle's team have been looking jaded since the Worthington Cup Final defeat.

"I feel great physically," he said. "I have been getting so many chances in the last few games and to get in those positions you have to be fit. It is normal for people to say players like me and Teddy (Sheringham) need a rest when we don't score or the team is not winning.

"It is too easy to look at some players and say that they need a rest. Glenn gave me a rest earlier this season but the problem is now that we are a squad of around 17. I don't want to rest because every game is different and sometimes, if it means taking part, I would prefer to play for 75 minutes than not at all.

"We lost Gary Doherty and Stephen Clemence too early this season but you would have expected them back in two or three months. But they were out for most of the season."

Doherty and Clemence both came through a reserve game this week and could be included in Hoddle's squad for the trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday and then for the home clash with Leeds on Easter Monday.

Striker Les Ferdinand (Achilles) and defender Dean Richards (groin) may also have recovered in time to return.

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