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Mauricio Pochettino says it is important that Tottenham continue to put pressure on their top players and ensure they do not get too comfortable – but he admits it is difficult to find recruits who are able and willing to compete with Spurs’ biggest stars.

While the Lilywhites are yet to sign any players this summer, their manager is fully aware of the need to improve his squad and increase the strength in depth.

“Every season we need to be clever in how we bring more energy and make sure our main players are not in a comfortable situation – because if not it is normal in human beings [to relax],” he said.

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“To create a winning team and try to win trophies, you need to feel the pressure. If I’m Harry Kane, like Dele Alli or Christian Eriksen, if there’s no competition in behind then it’s normal to drop your motivation. It’s normal to drop everything.

“If some players arrive with different energy then [they think] ‘ok come on, we need to push, we need to run, we need to do the same’. That is the risk we will have in the future, if we only keep 11 players and they know they always play.

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“I think the best example is we brought in, when we arrived, Ben Davies to push Danny Rose, and then Kieran Trippier to push Kyle Walker.

“We need quality and players with the facility to fight with our number one, to try to help them push their level. That is the key. If we’re capable of doing this, it’s sure we’ll have success.

“In this moment we’re finding the balance because it’s true that now is the moment to maybe refresh the team with some new faces – and it’s sure that will happen.”

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There is perhaps a perception among Spurs supporters that Pochettino is being frustrated by an unwillingness from chairman Daniel Levy to pay the required fees for the players on his wish-list.

“That is a very wrong perception,” says Pochettino. “In three years, my experience with Daniel has always been [that he is] trying to find players to improve us. The difference is, were they the right or wrong signing?





“The problem I think is so clear. We have some strategy and some ways to sign, and for different reasons we are not a club today that can compete with Manchester United and City for a player.

“But I think Daniel is very keen to sign, like me. The problem is when we have the type of players we’re talking about, it’s very difficult to put pressure [on them]. It’s not easy to find.”

Pochettino continued: “[Alvaro] Morata talked about me in the media. He said ‘Mauricio called me’. That was from the beginning, two years ago or more. But he said to me ‘why do you want me if you have Harry Kane?’.

“If you go to find some striker, they will say ‘eh gaffer, you want me for what? To be on the bench? Because it’s Harry Kane. I can’t compete with Harry Kane’. It’s the same with Hugo Lloris or different players.

“It’s so difficult to convince good players to come and then be on the bench. Then all the problems start – they come, they don’t play, they’re frustrated, disappointed, they drop their motivation.

“It’s better to play with younger players through the academy so you can improve them and teach them, and maybe one day they can become a very good player, and the motivation is always higher.”

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