Frustration for Pochettino as his transfer requests fall on deaf ears

Turning the clock back to December of last year, Mauricio Pochettino explicitly told the English press pack that the club paid a price for the late completion of their summer transfer business and made it clear that the club would have to be quicker and smarter next time.

Fast forward to July and Pochettino is yet to bring in any new players to his squad and the transfer deadline looms large on August 9 rather than August 31 as before.

Last summer, Davinson Sánchez, Paulo Gazzaniga, Juan Foyth, Serge Aurier and Fernando Llorente were all signed in the final two weeks of August. Of which, Foyth, Aurier and Llorente arrived in the last 48 hours in typical late Daniel Levy fashion.

Pochettino said at the time: “This summer was a very good example because we signed good players but it was so late and with no pre-season [for them], you pay,” Pochettino added. “You then need six or seven months for the player to be fit, adapt himself in everything and that is always against us.

“The most important thing that we have been talking about is to identify our targets and, on 3 July, when we start our pre-season, they are here. If we don’t, it’s so difficult for them to help the team and then, during the season, you are going to pay. It’s so important today to identify your targets for the summer. If not and we wait until May and, before we sign, we sell, it’s so difficult to bring in players that can help.”

Pochettino’s deadline of 3rd July has been and gone, yet he is still without any of his potential transfer targets. Granted, this summer is particularly difficult with the World Cup and the early conclusion of the window but his requests have fallen on deaf ears within the Tottenham hierarchy.

Surely, Pochettino was granted assurances about his transfer wishes before he put pen-to-paper on a new five-year contract at the tail end of May.

In just eleven days time, Tottenham will take to the field for their first pre-season match as part of their International Champions Cup involvement in the USA and the plane looks like it will be filled with a mix of current squad members who did not head to Russia, those who were knocked out early on in the competition and a smattering of youth players to bolster the numbers.

Pochettino added: “We tried to make early signings last summer but we could not, for different reasons. Now, we are going to try again to do things early. If we cannot again, I am going to say: ‘Come on, we could not again!’”

Sadly, Poch, it’s a case of groundhog day for both you and the supporters. Sort it out, Levy.

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