Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that chairman Daniel Levy has never stopped him from signing older players for instance like Fernando Llorente and says the veteran Spanish star is one of the few strikers who is actually happy to play second fiddle to Harry Kane.
At 32, Llorente is the oldest player signed by the club under Pochettino. Previously he signed just three outfield players aged 25 or over, fellow Argentine Federico Fazio, Dutch powerhouse Toby Alderweireld and of course the much maligned Moussa Sissoko.
The article adds that Daniel Levy, who runs Spurs as a business, has a reputation for preferring young players with a sell-on value however Pochettino insists he (Levy) has not imposed any age limit on signings.
Pochettino explained “From the beginning here, Daniel Levy has never said to me, ‘We cannot sign players who are over 25.’ Never. I promise you he’s never said that,”
Pochettino was speaking to the media ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup fourth-round match against West Ham, which will likely see Llorente wstart instead of Kane.
Pochettino continued: “All we do is try to find a profile that will fit what we need for the club, but he has never said to me, ‘That is the limit of the age — we can or we cannot.’
“It is important to analyse one thing: when you look at Harry Kane in the last few years, it is not easy to find the profile who can compete with him. It is not easy in the market to find a player who wants to come and do that, as everyone recognises him as one of the best strikers in the world and for a club like us it is not easy to find. That is why Llorente is perfect, and fits very well for us in our project.”
Interesting words from Poch and possibly another myth quashed. Its understandable why younger players are preferred purely because of the work rate but Llorente is certainly a bonus to have even if it is just for the dressing room
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