Pochettino Explains Real Reason Why Tottenham Didn’t Sign Any Players This Summer

Mauricio Pochettino says rising stadium costs, Brexit and building a new training ground were the reasons behind why Tottenham didn’t sign any players this summer, according to TeamTalk.

Tottenham fans were hoping the club would build on last seasons encouraging campaign that saw them finish third in the Premier League table by bringing in some top quality additions this summer to strengthen what is already a very talented young squad.

The north Londoners were linked with a whole host of names with the likes of Anthony Martial, Layvin Kurzawa, Marcelo Brozovic, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Wilfried Zaha and Jack Grealish among those touted as targets throughout the last few weeks.

Grealish was reportedly the closest to securing a move to White Hart Lane but Tottenham couldn’t get a deal agreed with Aston Villa for the England U21 midfielder so Pochettino missed out on the 22-year-old.

In the end, Tottenham failed to get any business done meaning they became the first Premier League club not to sign a single player in the summer transfer window since it was introduced back in 2003.

Understandably, many fans have been left deflated by the clubs lack of activity but Pochettino insists they have been ‘brave’ and pointed to the fact they’ve been able to keep their best players after tying the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Davinson Sanchez down to new contracts.

The Tottenham boss says that the financial constraints of redeveloping the training facilities and seeing the cost of building the new stadium rise to £1 billion due to Brexit were key factors in their decision not to buy this summer.

Pochettino is quoted as saying by TeamTalk:

“What the club is doing is showing it is so brave. Building a new training ground, finishing this summer the lodge was a massive investment.

“Building a stadium that is nearly £1bn. That is true, don’t believe in £400m, that is the truth. And then with Brexit it is worse because the cost is 30 per cent more, and then keep the best players.

“For me [that] is to be brave. Of course maybe in the mind of everyone they will say, ‘Oh Tottenham didn’t sign’, but to sign for the sake of signing?

“You need to respect all the opinions but of course we are a club that our decision was not to sign, (even though) it is the fashion to sign or because we are the only club in Europe that has not signed players.

“That maybe looks bad because of the perception and because of the history of football, but that is our decision – to keep the best players and to keep the squad. It’s a brave decision.”

It all means Tottenham head in to the new campaign with exactly the same squad that finished last season so only time will tell whether it was the right decision not to invest in the team this summer.