Mauricio Pochettino is not unduly worried by Tottenham’s inactivity in the transfer market this summer and has assured fans that new signings are on the way. Tottenham are the only club from last season’s top six yet to bring in any new players during the close season. Pochettino has a little over a fortnight to add to his squad but the Argentine is not overly concerned by the situation.
For the second year running, Spurs have travelled to the US for pre-season without making a summer signing and they are the only club from last season’s top-six yet to buy a player. The situation is at odds with Pochettino’s repeated calls last season for the club to complete their transfer business early this summer. The Argentinian has blamed their slow starts to the season on last-minute signings and, after the final game of last year, he urged chairman Daniel Levy to “be brave, take risks and work in a different way”
“We’re working hard trying to improve the squad,” he said. “The market has only started to move very quickly after the World Cup. Be sure that we are going to do some movement but like always, we’re working hard – no rash decisions.I’m not worried, I’m happy preparing the team to arrive in the best condition for the first Premier League game.’ Of course I’m very happy with players who have signed new contracts,” the Tottenham boss said. “Harry Kane, (Heung-Min) Son, (Erik) Lamela, Davinson (Sanchez) and Michel Vorm – that’s like signing five new players.”
But asked in Los Angeles if he was worried by Spurs’ lack of business, Pochettino said: “No. Like all season, we are focusing on trying to improve the team, developing our players and focusing on our players. That is most important. Tottenham are in California ahead of their friendly against Serie A side Roma on Wednesday before friendlies against Barcelona in Los Angeles and AC Milan in Minneapolis.
They have travelled to the US without France’s World Cup winning captain Hugo Lloris or their eight losing semi-finalists from England and Belgium, and Pochettino has urged his fringe players to stake a claim for a starting place in the three International Champions Cup matches.
“They are very good tests but more than the results is how we are going to approach the games,” he said. “Individuals are trying to show they can fight for one place in the starting XI and to share with our fans will be fantastic here in America.”
Meanwhile, Spurs have confirmed that 20-year-old centre half Juan Foyth, who was named in the 25-man squad for the US trip but has not travelled, will miss the start of the season after suffering a thigh injury in Saturday’s friendly against Brentford.
Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the 25-man squad that Mauricio Pochettino would take with him to the International Champions Cup in USA, fans have wondered about the status of two of the players that were not selected for the tour.
Vincent Janssen was assumed to be on his way out of the club, as he was closely linked with a return to Fenerbahce after a season-long loan there last season. Josh Onomah was likewise on loan at Aston Villa last year, and was also left off the plan to USA.
However, Mauricio Pochettino has stated that while Janssen has been deemed surplus to requirements at Spurs, Josh Onomah is still part of Pochettino’s plans for the season, and that Joshy’s absence from the USA tour is due to an entirely different reason.
“It’s different personal situations for different players. It’s clear the situation for players like Vincent. But Josh is part of our plans. He’s injured and doing his recovery with Harry Winks. That’s why he’s not here.”
That makes sense! Joshy hadn’t been pictured in any of the training sessions posted by the club the past week or so, nor had he been talked about at all. That led to some wild rumors on social media that he might be part of, say, a player-plus-cash deal for Jack Grealish, for example. But Josh was apparently spotted at Hotspur Way watching Spurs’ U23s in a friendly against Enfield Town, and the prognosis of an injury would make sense. It’s a bummer that he won’t get a full preseason and a chance to impress Poch in the ICC, though.
Another injured player who also didn’t make the trip is Harry Winks, and Poch indicated that while he’s on his way back after having ankle surgery this past spring, he’s not quite ready for match action.