Mauricio Pochettino has revisited Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer past, shedding light on missed opportunities and the players who could have changed the club’s trajectory.
Many Tottenham Hotspur supporters will be quick to point to the club’s lack of ambition in the transfer market as one of the reasons for their shortcomings in recent seasons.
A strong transfer window during one of the club’s most successful eras under Mauricio Pochettino could well have proved the difference between actual success on the pitch and several near misses.
However, that was not the case. Instead, the decision in the summer of 2018, when Tottenham went an entire transfer window without signing a single player, stands out as a significant moment in the club’s history – and Spurs Web believes 2018 has played a major role in their slide into the relegation zone in 2026.
Mauricio Pochettino reveals Tottenham transfer misses during his tenure
It certainly could have looked very different had Tottenham added a few extra players to what was already a strong Premier League squad under the Argentine, who has now reflected on targets Spurs could have signed.
Speaking on The Overlap, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino opened up on the players he wanted to bring to Tottenham but ultimately could not secure, explaining how those missed deals played out.
He said: “We wanted to sign Mane and Wijnaldum and for different reasons we couldn’t achieve that. I remember that we were also interested in them, but they decided to move to Liverpool and after they both beat us in 2019 [in the Champions League final].
“Not to blame the club it’s only that we were there to try to improve the squad in this moment but for different reasons we couldn’t achieve that … it’s not a problem, it’s part of the business.”
Of course, not only did Mane go on to win multiple trophies with Liverpool, but he also became one of the Premier League’s most prolific wingers, scoring 111 goals and securing a Golden Boot in the 2018-19 season.
Although he operated mainly from the left, where Heung-min Son did most of the damage, one can only imagine what might have been had he turned out in a Lilywhite shirt.
Pochettino reflects on Harry Kane’s rise at Spurs
However, while Spurs missed out on several transfer targets during Pochettino’s time, the Argentine did have one of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers of the modern era in Harry Kane.
Tottenham have former boss Tim Sherwood to thank for the rise of the England international, who progressed from the academy to become the Spurs’ record goalscorer after a decade in the top flight.
Reflecting on Kane’s development, Pochettino explained how the striker evolved under his guidance, highlighting the mindset and improvements that drove his success.
He said: “When Tim Sherwood left the club and we arrived I think Harry Kane was the third or the fourth striker. When we started to work with Harry, we saw that his mindset was determined to be successful.
“It’s true he didn’t have the best habits but after we had a talk with him, he was very intelligent and was quick to change those habits [training, food etc]. We feel proud but it’s him and the people that are next to him that made him successful.”