Tottenham Hotspur have released a statement explaining the reasoning behind the surprising sacking of manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Football fans were shocked on Tuesday evening when it emerged that Pochettino, manager of Spurs for more than five years, had been sacked.

The club was quick to issue a statement to explain why the Argentine has been dismissed less than half way through the Premier League season, and you can read it below.

"Firstly, the club would like to thank Mauricio for all of his hard work and achievements during his time at Tottenham Hotspur and we wish him all the best for the future.

"We know fans of the club will be surprised by this news, but it is not a decision the board takes lightly.

"Unfortunately, Pochettino did his job a bit too well. As a club that is used to sitting around fifth or sixth in the table and maybe fighting for a League Cup trophy every once in a while, it has been disconcerting to see the team posting such fantastic results.

"Watching Mauricio lead the team to second or third in the table every season made the fans, the club and the board uneasy to say the least; to all, it felt like our identity was being stolen.

"We're not supposed to be fighting for the Premier League or reach the finals of the Champions League. As our loyal fans will know, we just spent £1billion on a stadium and we didn't even build a trophy room. That is the essence of Tottenham Hotspur.

"With this in mind, and after seeing the frightening and frankly disgusting victories over Manchester City and Ajax last season, we made a decision to stop Mauricio in his tracks before he took everything we have worked so hard to build over the last half century or so.

"A caretaker manager will be appointed until the end of the season or until we can find someone who knows how to keep our club in its rightful place: sixth."