Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham cannot hope to compete for title without making splash in this transfer window

The comments will crank up the pressure on Spurs chairman Daniel Levy

Wednesday 02 August 2017 11:36 BST

Spurs have made zero summer signings (Getty Images)

Mauricio Pochettino fears his young Tottenham side will not be able to compete for the Premier League unless they expand their squad before the summer transfer window closes.

The Spurs boss already admitted that his team are “a little bit behind” their title rivals after being convincingly beaten by Manchester City in a pre-season friendly at the weekend.

But now he has cranked up the pressure on chairman Daniel Levy by claiming his squad needs more competition.

Tottenham summer transfer targets

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1/8Tottenham summer transfer targets

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Which players could Spurs sign this summer?

Getty

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Joshua King, Bournemouth

Norwegian striker Josh King has had a fine season, scoring 16 goals for a Bournemouth side which hovered precariously above the relegation zone for parts of the season. He played a key role in keeping the Cherries up and, given his performances, has caught the interest of Tottenham. The player admitted in an interview earlier in the season that he is pleased that Spurs have recognised his talents - comments which have added fuel to the fire over a potential £15m move. Pochettino is eager to solve the goalscoring issue his team faces when Harry Kane is injured or rested and King, who also qualifies as home-grown, could be the ideal solution.

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Max Meyer, Schalke

Schalke set the midfielder’s price-tag last summer at £45m for interested teams, but having remained at the club, Meyer has stalled over signing a new contract. With his current deal expiring next summer there is a realistic chance he will look to move on, and for a significantly lower fee than originally stated, at around £20m. Tottenham are among those monitoring his situation and could look to bring him in to increase squad depth ahead of another packed season.

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Ben Gibson, Middlesbrough

A similar case to Michael Keane, the 24-year-old centre back is highly rated and won his first England call-up against Lithuania this year. Chelsea, who view him as an ideal replacement for the departing John Terry, seem to be in the driving seat. With Kevin Wimmer looking likely to leave, Tottenham will be in the market for a centre-back and hold interest in Gibson, though Chelsea’s eagerness to secure his signature may complicate things.

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Ross Barkley, Everton

The Everton midfielder has obvious talent but has failed to perform consistently at his club. It is thought a change of scenery to invigorate his career is something the player would consider, and Tottenham are keen to snap him up if the chance arises. Barkley’s contract expires next summer and it is believed that Ronald Koeman will look to cash in on the playmaker to avoid losing him for free next season. That is no surprise, especially as he could cost interested clubs £30m.

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Demarai Gray, Leicester City

Pochettino’s preference to buy players who already possess Premier League experience could see the Leicester winger, 20, become the subject of Tottenham interest this summer. Gray made 72 appearances for Birmingham City, where he came through the ranks, before joining Leicester in 2016 and gained 12 league caps to help the club win the Premier League title. With bags of pace and potential, he has also represented England from U18 to U21 level and is tipped for future success. A fee of £12m could be enough to prise the youngster away from Leicester this summer.

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Ryan Sessegnon, Fulham

The young left-back has now turned 17 and, as a result, is legally allowed to sign his first professional contract. A host of top clubs have scouted the player, who impressed at Craven Cottage in Fulham’s televised FA Cup tie against Tottenham back in February, but the West Londoners are keen to keep hold of him by guaranteeing him first team football. Tottenham have been strongly linked to the youngster in recent days, though, and Fulham can expect a fight to hold onto the defender.

Tottenham summer transfer targets

Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace

The winger recently signed a new five-year contract at Selhurst Park in a move that will surely repel any interested clubs. Nonetheless, football works in mysterious ways and having already made a move for the winger last season, there’s no reason Spurs won’t come knocking a second time. Having said that, Tottenham would need to be serious in what they offer, as opposed to last summer’s £12m bid, if they’re to stand any chance of bringing Palace to the trading table.

“When you play in the Premier League and Champions League, you need quality and numbers,” Pochettino said.

“To create a winning team and try to win trophies, you need to feel the pressure.

“If I’m Harry Kane, Dele Alli or [Christian] Eriksen, if there’s no competition behind, it’s normal to drop your motivation, it’s normal to drop everything that you do.

Tottenham have made no new signings this summer but have raised more than £60m through the sales of Kyle Walker, Nabil Bentaleb and Clinton N’Jie.

Levy criticised the “unsustainable” spending of Tottenham’s Premier League rivals last week.

“I’m not sure if that’s the view of the other Premier League clubs, but certainly the prices that are being paid for other Premier League players, I can’t see it being sustainable in the long term,” Levy said.

“We’ve managed the club, we think, in a very appropriate way.

“I think I am a custodian of this football club. This club has been around since 1882 and when I leave it will be somebody else. I think we have a duty to manage the club appropriately.

“I don’t think that long term for any club it’s sustainable to spend more than you earn. You can have periods where you do but over the long term you can’t.”

While expressing his frustration at the lack of signings, Pochettino admitted he has sympathy for his boss.

“We are not a club today that can compete with Manchester United and City for a player,” Pochettino added.

“We cannot fight. We are in a different way. But the thing is Daniel is very keen to sign like me. These type of players we are talking about they are not easy to find.

“In three years, my experience with Daniel [is that he] has always been trying to find a player to improve us. Daniel is very keen for signings every season.”

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