Spurs hierarchy incensed by claims about Mauricio Pochettino’s transfer activity

A report from The Mirror has suggested that the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy were ‘incensed’ by suggestions that Mauricio Pochettino had already telephoned Philippe Coutinho about a switch to North London(Mirror).

Rumours about a Spurs move for Coutinho on loan have heated up over the last few days (Telegraph).

It is being heavily suggested that Coutinho could move to Spurs on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy for £80 million at the end of the season (Sky Sports).

With Christian Eriksen looking increasingly likely to make the switch to Manchester United it is clear why Spurs want Coutinho to help fill the void left by the Dane (Sky Sports).

While he had a poor season at Barcelona last year, Coutinho showed at Liverpool that he is world-class. He is also the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement for Eriksen which Spurs are likely to get in this window.

Spurs may have been angered by the rumours that Pochettino had spoken to Coutinho for multiple reasons. Everyone knows that Levy likes to keep his cards close to his chest in regards to new signings and this may have played a part in it.

Tottenham may also be keen to avoid the suggestion that they have tapped the player up. If this is the case then they are right to be angered by rumours about the alleged contact.

Liverpool were accused of tapping up Van Dijk in 2017 and were forced to wait to sign him (Telegraph). This shows why Spurs do not want to be seen to be contacting the player without the permission of Barcelona.

Spurs Web opinion

A move for Coutinho would be a major statement of intent for Spurs and would be a great replacement for Eriksen. He is also a player who is Premier League proven and knows the league well. The fact that Spurs are angered by the rumours that Pochettino spoke to Coutinho could be interpreted in different ways. However, the simplest reason would be that Levy simply wants to keep his cards close to his chest.

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