Tottenham transfer decisions are not up to me, says Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pocchettino has conceded that he does not set the agenda in terms of transfers at the club, saying chairman Daniel Levy has the wheel when it comes to acquisitions.

Spurs have not signed a player in the last two transfer windows, with Lucas Moura the last new player to join the club when he made the switch from Paris Saint-Germain in January 2018.

Pochettino, who joined the North London side from Southampton in 2014, painted his team's position in contrast to the clubs that finished first and second in the Premier League last season.

“At Manchester City and Liverpool, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are free to decide which players they want and which ones they do not,” the 47-year-old said.

“However, in other teams such as Tottenham, Chelsea or Arsenal the make-up of the squad isn’t in the hands of the coaches.

“Who decides, in our case is the president [Levy].”

Despite the lack of business in the transfer market, Pochettino’s men have maintained their place in the top four of the Premier League and made the Champions League final last season.

Those successes notwithstanding the Argentine boss is clear that the club need to make signings this summer and believes they can strengthen well.

“It is imperative that this year we strengthen the team,” he continued.

“We saved a lot of money in almost two years without signing and that should allow us to strengthen ourselves well.”

Spurs have been heavily linked with a couple of players to end their long period without adding to their squad.

Lyon’s defensive midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is rumoured to be moving from Lyon in a club record deal.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas is prepared to play hard ball with his 22-year-old star though.

The Ligue 1 club has rejected a £40 million ($54m) bid for the player and is holding out for the fee to potentially double.

“If I wait another eight days it will be €80 million (£72m/$101m),” Aulas said on Thursday.

Tottenham are expected to sign Jack Clarke from Leeds for around £8.5 million, though the young winger is unlikely to make an immediate first-team impact.