Tottenham’s Pochettino admits it is Levy who decides

Tottenham’s manager Mauricio Pochettino recently admitted that despite his role at the club, it is still chairman Daniel Levy who decides transfer business.

This is a big summer for Tottenham Hotspur and they can’t afford to let it go by again without securing the transfers they need to compete for the title.  The team greatly overachieved despite their recent transfer inactivity, but it would be reckless and foolhardy to suggest the same is possible again. Mauricio Pochettino even hinted on several occasions towards the end of the last season that he felt he had achieved as much as possible without securing reinforcements.

Despite all of this, Tottenham’s transfer negotiations this summer have laboured on, and yet still there is very little to show for it.  Several bids for Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele have been rebuffed and the club hasn’t signed any of the players that Mauricio Pochettino wants.

Recently he acknowledged that no matter what he wants or does, it is still, and will likely always remain, Daniel Levy who makes the final call on all transfer decisions.  They are chasing both Jack Clarke of Leeds United and Ndombele of Lyon, and Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to continue to strengthen even further.

That is why his most recent interview is particularly worrying.  Pochettino is well regarded at pretty much every major club in Europe.  He could very easily get a job at another club and is also one of the reasons why Tottenham are in the position they are now.

The consecutive top-four finishes and recent Champions League final appearance would likely not have happened under any other manager.  It is imperative to the success of the club that they keep Pochettino happy.

That is why statements such as these are of such importance, and should be taken into account with immediate effect:

"’At Manchester City and Liverpool, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are free to decide which players they want and which ones they do not.‘However, in other teams such as Tottenham, Chelsea or Arsenal the make-up of the squad isn’t in the hands of the coaches. Who decides, in our case, is the president.‘It is imperative that this year we strengthen the team.‘We saved a lot of money in almost two years without signing and that should allow us to strengthen ourselves well.’"

Pochettino is clearly frustrated.  He has been a good soldier for years now. He hasn’t complained about the financial situation despite the fact that Tottenham have spent grossly less than many of their main competitors, overachieving despite that.  Anywhere else in world football he would have been handed 200 million at the end of the season and been told to spend it as he wished.

Tottenham must start recognizing the simple importance of not just Pochettino, but his mentality to the club. He could easily act more like Mourinho used to and he would be well within his rights to do so.  The fact however that he does not is a great credit to him.  It is beyond frustrating, however, that he is not rewarded for this, and it’s tragedy that it appears to be changing his approach.

Spurs must reward Pochettino better than this. He deserves better and so do the supporters. Levy should give Pochettino a blank check, but instead it appears he is the one being blanked.