Mauricio Pochettino has said he would consider leaving Tottenham in the summer, possibly by taking a sabbatical, if he does not believe in the chairman Daniel Levy’s plan for the next phase of the club’s development.

The manager and his team have basked in the euphoria since their stunning Champions League semi-final win over Ajax on Wednesday and they have virtually assured themselves of a fourth consecutive top-four finish before the final game of the Premier League season at home to Everton on Sunday.

Tottenham superheroes achieved near miracle at Ajax, says Pochettino Read more

Pochettino will call for another push from his battle-weary squad, which has been hit by injury and suspension, yet he once again chose to put the spotlight on what he feels needs to happen after the Champions League final against Liverpool on 1 June.

Pochettino has surprised many people by establishing Spurs as regular Champions League qualifiers while working with restricted budgets owing to the new stadium project and, even more so, by leading the club to their first European Cup final. But now they have touched the elite level he is determined to agree a plan to keep them there.

Pochettino continued to be vague on the specifics of what he would like to see, saying today – as he has done previously – that the club needed to operate differently. But he did apply the pressure when asked whether he was preparing the ground for something, namely to take a sabbatical and leave, if the discussions with Levy did not go to his liking. The idea of the sabbatical has been floated in the Spanish media.

“I am open to everything,” Pochettino replied. “What I am not open to is starting a new chapter with no plan, with no clear idea, with not being transparent and being able to tell our fans what is our objective, to stop talking about perception, talk about reality – because if not, it is going to be difficult.

“We know very well that we need to operate in a different way and that doesn’t mean to spend more or less money. It’s to be transparent and say: ‘This is what we want for the next year, or the next five or 10 years.’ It would be very naive to think we can continue to operate as we have done and that it will get us to the Champions League final and the top four every season when we’re competing against projects like Liverpool or the Manchester clubs.

Danny Rose promises to go out with a bang in final against Liverpool Read more

“If you want to expect the same from us as from Liverpool, the Manchester clubs and Chelsea, give me different tools to work with. If not and I see people working in the same way in the future, and I’m going to be this guy, I am the most stupid person to work. We need to create a realistic plan to develop in the next year, five years, and to match people’s expectations because, if not, our destiny is to crash.”