Mauricio Pochettino blames Brexit for Tottenham's inactivity in the summer transfer window
The London-based outfit spent "nearly £1bn" on their new stadium moving away from White Hart Lane.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has blamed the cost of their new stadium and Brexit, for not making any summer signing. The Premier League outfit failed to sign Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, as the club rejected all offers.
Their inactivity in this transfer window has made Spurs the first ever Premier League club to not make a summer signing since the window began in 2003. Pochettino said that the club had been "brave," and that he was pretty satisfied at securing new deals for important players like Harry Kane and Son Hueng-min.
The former Southampton manager also mentioned that although the stadium cost the club "nearly £1bn", Brexit also had an effect on the value of the pound against the euro, which has led to a "30 per cent" increase when trying to buy players from around Europe.
The Argentine said, "What the club is doing is showing it is so brave. Building a new training ground, finishing this summer the (players') lodge was a massive investment. Building a stadium that is nearly £1bn. That is true, don't believe in £400m, that is the truth. Then with Brexit, it's worse because the cost is 30 per cent more. That is a drama, I feel sorry for the English people. 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?"
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He further talked about how people are wrong in criticize their transfer inactivity. He said, "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."
Refusing to regret his club's inactivity, the former Espanyol defender said, "I don't feel the panic in football. Some people make a drama in football and drama for me is another thing. Football is a game where you need to be clever in how you set your principles, your strategy to try to win the games. Never a drama. I think we have a very competitive squad, of course, that we are hoping to improve, but if you cannot improve the most important thing is trying to keep your best team, your best players."
[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]The London club finished third in the Premier League last season. They were 23 points behind table-toppers Manchester City. City also bought in Riyad Mahrez for a club-record £60m over the summer. Other top four contenders have also made some acquisitions. Liverpool spent quite a lot to bring in the likes of Fabinho and Alisson. The Merseyside outfit spent more than £170m during the transfer window. Arsenal bought in Sokratis, Lucas Torreira and so on. Chelsea spent a goalkeeper-record fee on Kepa Arrizabalaga. Meanwhile, Manchester United also spent on the likes of Fred.
The Hugo Lloris-led side will play Newcastle United in their opening Premier League fixture on 11th August 2018, 5:00 PM.
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