Football London

Tottenham are interested in signing Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi on a free transfer, providing they secure Premier League safety

Liverpool are the latest club to contact Marcos Senesi's camp ahead of his Bournemouth contract's expiry this summer.

The Argentine centre-back has already communicated to the Cherries that he will seek a new challenge at the end of the season.

Tottenham are interested in signing Senesi on a free transfer but the deal is dependent on the club securing Premier League safety.

A number of other top-flight teams, including Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester United have contacted Senesi's reps ROOF over the past few months.

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But in April, it became clear that Tottenham were among the top competitors for the experienced defender.

However, as reported in Spain by Radio MARCA, Liverpool have now entered the fray and have reached out to Senesi's representatives to gauge his salary demands.

Kop boss Arne Slot worked with the player during his time in charge of Feyenoord while Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes brought Senesi to Bournemouth in 2022 for an initial fee of £10.5million.

The Reds are already well-stocked at centre-back: they have Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate is close to finalising a new contract at Anfield, Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet is set to arrive from Rennes this summer, and Giovanni Leoni is stepping up his recovery following ACL surgery.

Yet Senesi is the type of profile that could ease the burden on ageing captain Van Dijk, who turns 35 this summer and only has one year remaining on his deal on Merseyside.

Given Senesi has been a regular starter at Bournemouth this season, he only seems likely to move to a club where he will receive minutes and have the chance to compete for major trophies.

Barcelona have him on a list of centre-back options but their priority is Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni while Juventus are among Senesi's long list of admirers.

Tottenham are believed to be looking to sign a left-sided centre-back to provide cover and competition for Micky van de Ven, though the Dutchman is attracting interest himself ahead of the summer window.

Manchester United have been credited as potential suitors for Van de Ven, while Liverpool have also been linked in recent months.

Either way, Tottenham's summer transfer activity - a deal for Liverpool's left-back Andy Robertson remains advanced - will ultimately hinge on the next four matches.

Robertson came close to joining Spurs in January but the plug was pulled on a deal as the Reds could not find a replacement for the Scotland international captain, who recently confirmed he'll be departing Liverpool this summer after nine years on Merseyside.

Here's every single word the Tottenham boss said at his press conference on Friday ahead of the weekend's match at Aston Villa

Roberto De Zerbi had plenty of passion at his press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's Premier League match at Aston Villa.

Spurs are looking to keep their momentum going after the draw with in-form Brighton and then the much-needed win at Wolves on Saturday. Those three points came at a cost though with Xavi Simons suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury and Dominic Solanke a hamstring problem.

De Zerbi provided updates on various injuries ahead of the game against Unai Emery's side on Sunday night, which falls in between their Europa League semi-final legs against Nottingham Forest with Villa a goal down from the first leg. Tottenham need more points as they sit 18th and two points behind West Ham, who travel to West Ham.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to De Zerbi. Here's the full transcript from the Italian's press conference at Hotspur Way.

A brilliant win against Wolves and then the bad news of Xavi’s injury. What is the news on...

I watched you. I watched you this week. Go, go.

I’m worried now! Dom Solanke, how long is he out for?

Listen, I want to be clear one time. The most important challenge now is to silence the voice inside of us, inside of the players, inside of the staff and inside of the fans. This voice can produce negative thoughts. The voice says, ‘we are unlucky, we have too many injuries, we lost Xavi Simons and he was the last two games one of the best players and most important players for us, our medical staff is not good enough and the pitch of the stadium is not good, the pitch of the training ground is not good, it is impossible to win two or three games in a row because we have not won too many games in 2026,’ I think it is all negative things. And it is rubbish because I want to keep my focus on ourself and the quality of my players.

We go to play against one of the best teams in this moment in Premier League, we have a big respect for Emery as a coach, but if Tottenham win in Villa Park, it is not a miracle. Maybe we lose, I don’t know but we have the quality to win this game and it is not a miracle, so I think we have to be positive and to be lucky because we are working in a big club. If Solanke and Xavi are injured, we can play with Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel, Richarlison and I think they are not worse players. They are different as characters, but are very good players. We have Pedro Porro, we have Udogie, we have Micky van de Ven, we have Bentancur, we have Palhinha, we have Gallagher and Gallagher two! For that all these things and I have not too much to listen and to hear this (negative) things.

I am sorry, I just think you have been unlucky...

No, because I watched you on TV but it is not a polemic (controversy), but I heard no, ‘that it is impossible, we are crying everyone and we are relegated,’ but no, not yet. And we have to die on the pitch and to die on the pitch we have to lose the game. Before we lose the game we have to play, we have to fight and we have two points less than West Ham but West Ham have to play difficult games as well like us. For that, okay it is not the best moment for us, it is a tough moment, a difficult moment, but the losers cry. The losers think negative. I don’t want people close to me crying or to think in different way to me.

Absolutely…

Was I clear?

I just think, you have been very unlucky with injuries?

Yes, but we are good enough to win the games, and we are good enough to stay up. And then we will see, because it's the unique way I know. The way I know is to work hard, to give my best, to transfer my idea of the players, the confidence of the players, and to be realistic. I think there are not a lot of people realistic now.

Was James Maddison training?

Very well.

Does he have chance to play against Villa or Leeds?

I don't know, I would like to play with him, because he's a special player, he's a different player, but we have to consider the physical condition, a lot of things. But I think he can be important in the next three games.

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What did you think of the criticism of the physios after Simons injury?

I think we win together, and we lose together. And it's not the right time to make polemic, or to give responsibilities. Every one of us has to feel the responsibility for a big club, but now we have to stay all together, close, with just one target on our head, and to move forward all together, and stop.

Is Vicario available?

He's not available, not yet.

Has the Wolves win lifted the mood around the squad?

Yes, at the beginning of the week we suffered these new injuries, but today they worked very well, one of the best training in my time, and I was sincere also with them before the training, but I can't say nothing with them, with their attitude, their behaviour, always, they've been fantastic.

How do you approach the Villa game?

Keeping the ball, showing our qualities, because if we have a chance to win the game, it's because we have great players for me, and fight, run, defend everyone together, with order, with the right organisation, without the ball for sure, because we have to defend, but we have to attack and to keep the ball, and to enjoy with the ball, to try the one-to-one on the wingers' side, to play when we have the right time and the right space between the lines, that's my idea.

Is there too much negativity in football?

Yes, we lost a lot of injuries, players, we lost two points with Brighton, and in Sunderland we conceded one stupid goal, and I think we didn't deserve to lose the game, just in my time. If you imagine what happened before, I can understand the players, but anyway, there is just one way, if you want to have no regrets in the future. To have no regrets in the future, you have to remove everything from our heads, from our memories, and to take one game per game, and one game per game I think, one training per training, to find the right organisation, to find the right confidence in ourselves, and to play showing our qualities. Because I think if we show our qualities, we are good enough to win the game.

I like that, when you said you were good enough to win, and good enough to stay up..... But I'm not [being] positive, I want to be realistic, it's different being positive, not positive because today is sunny, it's Italian weather, and I'm positive, no, no. I want to be realistic, and for that I'm like, so I feel this pressure to change the perspective. The same perspective you can see in different ways. One way is we are unlucky, we are at the bottom of the table. The other perspective is, yes, but we play with Pedro Porro, with Udogie, with Bentancur, with Bissouma, with Palhinha, with Gallagher, with Richarlison, with Kolo Muani. Kolo Muani two years ago, PSG paid £70 million [for him]. He's not stupid, he's a top player. Mathys Tel is one of the best young players in Europe. Richarlison is in the Brazilian national team, he's not in a different team. Is it all about now your players showing heart and determination, almost above skill and fancy tricks and flicks, just heart?

Absolutely, I agree. For sure it's more important the human value, the pride, the dignity, the passion to silence this criticism. And then the football, the ball, the qualities, the other things about football. But first of all, other things. Can I just double-check on Dominic Solanke, are you going to have him back this season?

I don't know yet. For Villa, no, for sure. And then we will see.

Is it his hamstring?

Yes. And you mentioned Destiny Udogie a couple of times, is he available for this weekend?

Udogie can be available, yes. I don't know if at the beginning of the game or in the second half, but he's available, yes. Until now. Your passion and your belief that you can do this, do you feel that in your players and do you feel that around this club? Or are you trying to send a message to everyone inside the club that we can still do this?

No. I think they have just to show the same passion, because inside of them, they feel the same passion. They feel the same emotion. And about the fans, they showed their passion with Brighton at home. It was an incredible atmosphere. And we have our responsibilities also for them. Or they showed their passion in Wolverhampton, because they were fantastic with us. It's not so easy to see another stadium in this position of the table to give the same support, the same love they gave in Brighton or in Wolverhampton. And just with James Maddison, he's obviously been part of the group for these last two games., what sort of impact has he brought just being part of the group?

Experience, personality, calm. Because anyway, if you have much experience, you are calmer. You can consider the timing when you have to speak, when you have to say something or not. And I want him to stay inside even if he doesn't play, because when he will be ready to play, I want him 100 per cent inside of the plan of the team.

The full focus now is on staying up but in the summer, do you want to look into the injuries? It's not just been this season, it's been last season, and get to the bottom of why it feels like it's happening a lot?

In summer we can do everything. Everything. We have a lot of time to spend speaking about football, about the transfer market, about everything we can improve. We will.

Roberto De Zerbi is facing the media on Friday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's Premier League match at Aston Villa.

Spurs have picked up under the Italian with a draw against in-form Brighton and then a much-needed win at Wolves on Saturday.

That victory came at a cost though with Xavi Simons suffering an ACL injury that will keep him out of the World Cup and much of this year. Dominic Solanke also went down with what looked like a hamstring injury and De Zerbi will provide updates on both players.

Spurs take on Unai Emery's Villa side on Sunday night in between their Europa League semi-final legs against Nottingham Forest and amid their own top four chase.

Tottenham are concerned with matters lower down the table as they sit 18th and two points behind West Ham, who travel to West Ham.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to De Zerbi. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

Aston Villa were beaten by Nottingham Forest in the Europa League on Thursday night and face Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday night

Unai Emery confirmed that Amadou Onana is a doubt to feature against Tottenham Hotspur after suffering a fresh injury during Aston Villa’s defeat at Nottingham Forest.

The midfielder was forced off in the 55th minute with a calf problem, which he had first felt before half-time, and was replaced by Lamare Bogarde.

The former Everton man had only just passed a late fitness test to start against Forest, having missed last weekend’s defeat to Fulham with a minor knee injury.

And Emery admitted his side must be careful with the Belgium international ahead of Sunday’s game at Villa Park.

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“The first half he was telling us he was feeling something in his calf,” the Spaniard said after his side’s 1-0 defeat at the City Ground.

“I don’t know how he is going to recover. Hopefully in a few days he can recover. We must be careful and we will see how he progresses.”

Tottenham secured a much-needed first Premier League win in 16 matches last weekend with a hard-fought, vital 1-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But Spurs’ survival hopes have been affected by an enormous injury crisis, with Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke the latest to join the treatment table.

However, Antonin Kinsky is positive his side can overturn a two-point deficit to 17th-placed West Ham United and avoid a first relegation since 1977.

“Yeah, the determination is huge. We feel that we want it, the fans want it, everyone is behind us and we will do everything we can,” he said.

“Of course we got ourselves into this situation which we don’t want to be in, but I believe we are doing the right things to get out and I believe we have the qualities to get out.”

While speaking after the win over Wolves, Joao Palhinha said: "We have four finals [remaining]. We need to do our jobs. Hopefully this win can change things, give us a bit more motivation as well as it's been a long time without victories.

"What we can control right now is doing our job until the end of the season and keeping the club where it belongs, which is the Premier League.

The Tottenham Hotspur defender has been missing for a couple of fixtures but was shown in images to be back in training by his club

Luka Vuskovic finally returned to training with his HSV Hamburger team-mates on Thursday after the Tottenham man was given the green light after his knee injury.

The 19-year-old has become the star man for the German side and was named this week in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for his eye-catching performances at centre-back. However, a recent knee injury has kept Vuskovic side-lined for the past three matches and HSV have duly conceded nine goals in three defeats and slipped to just six points above the drop zone, although it would take a big goal difference swing to drag them down with two games to go.

Vuskovic has become so important for his loan club and also for Croatia and the upcoming World Cup this summer that his knee has been constantly making the headlines with often contrasting reports in both Hamburg and Croatia. The Tottenham teenager is reportedly suffering from 'knee contusion,' which is effectively bruising that causes plenty of discomfort.

Hamburger SV boss Merlin Polzin offered hope that the teenager is finally on the comeback trail after he completed a light recovery session with rehabilitation coach Sebastian Capel on Tuesday, saying: "First of all, this is really good: sunshine, Luka is here. Wonderful. It gives me a good feeling that the pain has subsided."

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Then on Thursday afternoon the club posted social media images of Vuskovic involved in a session with his team-mates with the caption: "Guess who's started back in team training."

German reports claimed earlier in the week that Vuskovic's first MRI scan results were positive but HSV medical staff, in consultation with Tottenham, needed to carry out another MRI before he was cleared to return to action. The final decision was to rest with his parent club Spurs over what happened next for the youngster.

Now the Croatian, who has made 27 appearances and scored five goals from the back, will be hoping to be involved on Saturday as HSV play their penultimate game of the Bundesliga season at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Xavi Simons will not play for Tottenham again this season and there are now concerns over what the future holds for both him and the club

Tottenham Hotspur star Xavi Simons is set to see his £64million transfer value fall after his devastating injury. The forward will be unavailable to Roberto De Zerbi for some time due to a serious knee injury.

The Netherlands international suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during Spurs' 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday afternoon. The winger was stretchered off after the incident, and Tottenham released a statement to confirm fans' worst fears.

The 23-year-old could be out for up to eight months with the injury. It means he will definitely miss out on being included in the Netherlands' World Cup squad this summer.

And an added concern for Spurs is his declining transfer value. CIES Football Observatory currently values him at €65million-€75m (around £64m).

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While Tottenham will not want to sell one of their best players - they may be forced to do so if they are relegated.

De Zerbi's team sit 18th in the Premier League table and are two points from safety. Spurs have just four games left to preserve their top-flight status, with last weekend's win over relegated Wolves their sole victory in the league this year.

The true cost of Spurs dropping into the Championship could be north of £200m. Former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy inserted relegation clauses into several Tottenham players' contracts, which will undoubtedly help their financial situation.

But Simons' serious injury will limit how much they could receive for him once he is fit to play. The young star made the move to north London in a deal worth £51.8m last summer, and the club will be hoping to make a profit on that deal if he is sold.

Taking to Instagram to share his emotions after news of his injury was confirmed, he said: "They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it.

"Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me… along with the World Cup.

"Representing my country this summer…just gone. It’ll take time to find peace with this, but I’ll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we’ll win this fight.

"I’ll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me. TTP. COYS."

Simons has joined an ever-growing list of injured stars at Tottenham. Cristian Romero will miss eight weeks with a knee tear, while Wilson Odobert is also facing a long time out due to an ACL injury.

Spurs return to action on Sunday away at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa (7pm BST).

The north London club have confirmed that their popular captain is set to depart just over three-and-a-half years after joining

Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed that women's first team captain Bethany England will leave the club this summer at the end of her contract.

The 31-year-old made a huge impact when she joined Spurs midway through the 2022/23 campaign with 13 goals in 14 games in all competitions, helping the club stay up in the Women's Super League and was handed various player of the season awards by the supporters.

England was appointed captain ahead of the next campaign and led the side to their first-ever FA Cup final. The striker netted 38 goals across her time in north London, with 32 of those coming in the WSL to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer in the competition.

The former England international also became only the sixth player to reach the 200 appearance mark in the WSL and the first to score over 25 goals with two different teams. England is Spurs' top scorer this season under Martin Ho, with seven goals in 19 WSL games as Spurs lie fifth with two matches to go.

"From the very beginning you gave me something I didn’t even realise I was searching for: your warmth, your belief, your unwavering support," England said in an emotional video message to the fans. "You even made me feel seen again. In moments where I questioned myself, you never did. I came here hoping to rediscover something I had lost but I am leaving with so much more than I’d ever imagined."

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Tottenham Hotspur Women's managing director, Andy Rogers, said: "Bethany's leadership has shaped a defining era in the history of Tottenham Hotspur Women. Upon arrival she drove a rise in standards, professionalism and desire, and she has continued to uphold and push these values throughout her time here.

"As well as her incredible contributions on the pitch, Bethany has been instrumental in connecting with our fans to bring them closer to the team, and committing herself to our Foundation to ensure we are making a positive impact on the community around us.

"Bethany has etched her name in Spurs Women history, and can leave feeling proud of the lasting impact she has made on the club."

It is a time of big change at Tottenham under Ho with plenty of departures. England is the latest confirmed departure this week after the news that Amy James-Turner, Luana Buhler, Charlotte Grant and Josefine Rybrink, as well as the long-serving Kit Graham would all be leaving the north London club.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss spoke about something he read in a newspaper and made his podcast hosts laugh in unison

Mauricio Pochettino appeared to take a little shot at Chelsea when discussing how close Tottenham came to winning a Premier League title under him.

The 54-year-old led Spurs to a couple of title challenges during his five-and-a-half years in north London. The first saw Leicester claim the Premier League trophy in 2015/16 and then the following season Antonio Conte's Chelsea finished above Pochettino's side, who were deemed by many to be the league's most entertaining team that season with more goals scored but also the best defence. Tottenham lost fewer games than Chelsea that season but crucially drew eight games to the Blues' three.

Chelsea were fined £10.75million last month and handed a suspended transfer ban for secret payments made to agents worth £47.5m between 2011 and 2018, when Roman Abramovich was owner, and breaches of rules around registering youth players. The Premier League report named a number of transfers related to the secret payments, including deals for Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic, all of who played during that season when the Blues finished above Tottenham.

Some pundits and journalists have offered up the opinion that Chelsea should have lost their silverware during the seasons in question and Pochettino appeared to be referencing that when speaking about Spurs on The Overlap's latest episode of Stick to Football. His apparent reference to Chelsea brought laughter from hosts Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jill Scott, and Ian Wright even though the Argentine, a former Blues boss himself, claimed it did not mean he believed that, only that it was what he had read.

"In the time we were there [at Spurs], for me it was the best club, we were enjoying it there and we felt that we could win. It really hurts me when people say other things about Tottenham. It's not like this. Tottenham have a history, an amazing history and it's not easy to win, to compete," said Pochettino.

"I think when we were competing there, maybe, maybe, I was reading in some paper that maybe we deserved some Premier League title because some club broke the rules (cue laughter from the hosts).

"But it's true! I don't say that! It was in a newspaper. But when we were competing there, we were competing with big people, big clubs that were not building a new stadium - well maybe Arsenal before - and you know how much you struggle when you build a new stadium.

"This period was really, really tough, which is why for me every season was more than winning a title because we were always fighting up there for the Premier League."

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Pochettino believes Tottenham's size as a club is shown in how many supporters he bumps into around the world, wherever he may be in any moment.

"I can talk from my experience in Tottenham and what I can tell you for me it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. People around the USA, South America, England, Spain, Europe, I don't know if it's coincidence but there are Tottenham fans [there] and Tottenham fans who can help me," he said.

"One day I was using a company and I arrived and they said I could not travel because my seat was gone and some guy came and said 'oh you are Pochettino, don't worry about what my boss say, you are going to be fine'. Or I am in London and stop a taxi and it's 'oh Mauricio, I am a Tottenham fan'. Tottenham fans are everywhere.

"For me it's a massive club with a massive following. It's crazy and now it's a club that I think has everything to be successful because the facilities are the best, the training ground, the stadium, more than 60,000 fans [every week], they have passion."

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper has turned his season around in the space of a couple of weeks to put his nightmare in Madrid firmly behind him

It has taken true mental strength for young Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to drag himself back from humiliation to all-round praise in the space of two months.

On the night of March 10 in Madrid, just three days before his 23rd birthday, Kinsky had a nightmare on the difficult Metropolitano pitch, conceding three Atletico goals within 16 minutes and gifting the home side the ball on two of those occasions. To compound matters, interim Spurs boss Igor Tudor hauled the young goalkeeper off a minute later as everybody watched on.

The Czech stopper's Tottenham career was widely deemed to be done, his confidence surely broken with a move out of the club expected this summer.

Then Spurs' first choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario needed to have hernia surgery and two months on from that evening in Spain all eyes turned back to Kinsky as he was needed. New head coach Roberto De Zerbi fully backed him and solid performances against Sunderland and Brighton culminated in a spectacular display at Wolves.

In the second half Kinsky rushed out to deny Adam Armstrong and bail out Kevin Danso after an under-hit back pass and the goalkeeper saved the best for last with a full length stop to push away Joao Gomes' free-kick deep into added time to ensure the three points headed back to the capital.

"He deserves this day, because he played very well," said De Zerbi after the match. "Especially today, he was crucial for the result. He deserves everything, because he's a good guy, he's a good keeper. Especially after Madrid, he deserves one day like today."

Now Kinsky has spoken for the first time since that night at Atletico and his remarkable late save at Molineux.

"Of course I am happy because this was an important moment for us, an important game and it was five games until the end [of the season]. We know that every game we need to get the points you know as much as possible, so of course we did it and got the three points. We want to continue this in the next games," he explained before coolly describing his last-gasp moment as simply part of the job.

"For the save, I am happy for that because it was a good moment at the end of the game. Yeah, I just stayed calm and did what I am supposed to do."

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The Czech explained what Tottenham did well at Wolves on Sunday to give themselves a fighting chance in the relegation battle.

"Even though OK, you are more on the ball, you know that any time there can be some break and some dangerous situation. I think it is more about keeping balanced, being focused on the offensive part of the game if you have the ball 70 per cent or something like this and then at the back being compact and ready for any counter," Kinsky told Canal+. "I think we did it well and especially in the first half. Second half could be better and I think these are the things we can take into the next game."

Spurs lie two points behind 17th-placed West Ham and travel back up to the Midlands to face Aston Villa on Sunday evening in the Premier League.

"The determination is huge. We feel that we want it, the fans want it, everyone is behind us and we will do everything we can," said Kinsky. "Of course we got ourselves into this situation which we don’t want to be, but I believe we are doing the right things to get out and I believe we have the qualities to get out.

"Determination is the right mindset I would say with the confidence. It has to be balanced no matter what the situation is, especially on the pitch during the game."

The Argentine has been speaking about his time at Tottenham Hotspur and how close they came to winning the Premier League title

Mauricio Pochettino has remembered two transfers that Tottenham missed out on that he believes would have pushed them to the next level.

The Argentine managed Spurs for five-and-a-half years with two title challenges, four top four finishes and one Champions League final appearance before being sacked in 2019 by then chairman Daniel Levy six months after that night in Madrid. Pochettino, currently the boss of the USA and preparing for a home World Cup, has been reminiscing about his time in north London and how close they came to silverware.

Spurs infamously went through two transfer windows without signing a single player during that Champions League final season in 2018/19 but Pochettino pointed to a missed double transfer more than two years earlier as being as important to the club missing the steps towards the next level.

"I can tell you that we tried, I think it was in 2016 when we finished the season, we tried to sign two players. After they moved to another club they won the Premier League and beat us in the Champions League final.

"We wanted to sign [Sadio] Mane and [Georginio] Wijnaldum and for different reasons we couldn't achieve that, but sometimes you need this luck and this timing. I remember that we were interested in them but they decided to move to Liverpool and after they both beat us in 2019 [in the Champions League final]," Pochettino said on The Overlap's latest episode of Stick to Football.

"I saw when Jurgen [Klopp] came to play his first game in England against us at the old White Hart Lane. Then when they beat us in the final [in Madrid] it was a completely new team, a new squad, when we had kept the same structure.

"It's a time to arrive in the moment. Coaches are very good coaches. All are well prepared, it's timing, it's about the project. The timing is so important, the circumstances.

"Yes [it was frustrating], but we are all trying to find [the right players]. Exactly [you can't get everyone you want]. That is not to blame the club it's only that we were there to try to improve the squad in this moment but for different reasons we couldn’t achieve that, to bring [them in].

"Maybe there are a thousand different players who could have improved us during this period and to make us better and achieve this and make this step that we missed, but I think it's not a problem, it's part of the business."

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Pochettino said that seeing Spurs in their current state, in big relegation danger and on to their fourth head coach in 10 months, makes him upset and he harked back to what might have been during his tenure in N17.

"It's really sad, I really love Tottenham, it's always going to be a part of my life, an important part of my life as a coach, a personal life too," said the 54-year-old. "It's really sad because I know how the people are suffering there, inside the club and also the fans. It's difficult to accept, but the moment when we left, what I told to the media and what I told internally was my feeling and my vision. You need to talk during the day that you are there.

"When you left or when you are sad or when you decide to move again, I think it's not time to talk. If you talk, things for me are not right.

"But I think when I was there, I tried to explain what was my vision. We were in a situation that was amazing because we finished the training ground, we finished the stadium, we moved to Wembley to play, to Milton Keynes to play many games. At the same time, we were very competitive.

“But this idea of how it can affect the environment and the people outside and the people that make the decision inside... It's one title, it's one to win a FA Cup, it's to win a Carabao Cup.

"It's a shame. We were winning every season because with all the circumstances that we were fighting, we spent 18 months with no one signing. That was a record in the Premier League."

He added: "Tottenham can say 'we had money to spend' but not the type of money to improve, to be close to win or to challenge. We challenged, we challenged to win. But we missed this last step.

"Sometimes it's money and sometimes it's decisions. It's not only about money. We were always talking. Sometimes players that are good don't belong in certain clubs and that is a moment when you can add and add but if you don't remove then it's impossible to improve that player or increase their level. That for me is the key to the whole project in the club.

"Making decisions to not only be right in the players that you add but also when is the moment when the players don't belong any more. It's not good or bad players, it's to remove. Because they were very useful for that period but then it is the next period. That is it, to not have the same line (balance) in these decisions."