Player thinks he would have remained at Spurs if Pochettino was not sacked

Tottenham Hotspur took the difficult decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino last November after a string of poor results that stretched back for the majority of 2019.

While the Champions League run to the final polished a disappointing year for Spurs, the domestic failures were too much for Daniel Levy and the board to ignore.

Within 24-hours, Jose Mourinho was appointed as the new head coach at the North London club. The Special One has been putting his mark on the side ever since.

Part of this transition period has seen a number of Spurs players leave the club over the past few months, including the sale of Christian Eriksen to Inter Milan.

Danny Rose and Kyle Walker-Peters were both sent out on loan in the January window, with the latter signing for Southampton on a six-month deal.

Walker-Peters has now revealed that he thinks he would still be at the club had Pochettino not been sacked last year.

He said (Southampton website): “I think had he [Pochettino] stayed, I’d still be at Tottenham.

“He was never really big on loans. There were always opportunities for him to send me on loan and he never did, so I think that showed his faith in me.

“Despite not playing me all the time, it showed that he wanted me around. If he hadn’t left, I don’t think I’d be on loan, so it just shows how fast football can change.

“Mourinho comes in and I get to play one game, but I don’t really get an opportunity like I thought I would, in terms of two or three games rotating with Serge Aurier, but the manager has to make decisions. That was his decision, so that’s fine.”

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