Mauricio Pochettino arrived in north London in 2014 after a successful spell with Southampton on the south coast.
The Argentinian manager was an instant hit at the lane, bringing his exciting blend of passing football, high pressing, and faith in young, hungry players.
Over four years later, and Pochettino is still at the helm, despite a complete lack of silverware under his belt.
In fact, Tottenham have failed to win a single trophy in over ten years, which marks the next major step in Pochettino’s reign.
He has already successfully led them to consistent top four finishes, with three top three places in successive years, as well as bringing a highly lucrative run in last year’s Champions League.
And despite this lack of silverware, Poch remains a clear fan favourite, and also a hit with the Tottenham old guard.
Ossie Ardiles had this to say on the Spurs manager: “Over the last four or five years, (chairman) Daniel Levy has had to make big commercial decisions about building a new stadium and building a team to fill it.
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“When you compiled a list of the five biggest clubs in England, Tottenham was probably not among them – on the fringes, in the margins, but not one of the big five – but now they have one of the best training grounds in the world and the new stadium is nearly ready.
“And the biggest decision of all by Daniel was to go out and bring in Mauricio Pochettino as the coach.
“I would not change Mauricio for any manager in the world: Under him, Tottenham has become a contender all the time, we are playing in the Champions League every year and last year we beat Real Madrid in the group.
“You must remember this Tottenham team is still very young – Harry Kane is only 25, Dele Alli is 22 – and the outlook for their squad as a whole is very, very positive.
“To bring players in, they would have to be better than the ones already at the club, so I admire them for sticking with players instead of panic-buying.
“I’m incredibly happy that we have kept certain players, like Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose, when a lot of people were saying they were off.
“So in all, it’s an exciting time to be associated with Tottenham – a wonderful manager, wonderful players, a wonderful training facility and, soon, a wonderful new stadium.
“They are competitive in every regard.
Tottenham and Pochettino will face their next big test on September 15, when they welcome fellow title challengers Liverpool to Wembley.
While Spurs failed to make a signing in the summer, Liverpool are a stark contrast, having spent £170m. A big scalp here would be a statement of intent from Spurs.
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