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Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is using Barcelona interest to pressure club into transfer spending

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 23: Mauricio Pochettino manager of Tottenham Hotspur applauds during the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and KAA Gent at Wembley Stadium on February 23, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 23: Mauricio Pochettino manager of Tottenham Hotspur applauds during the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and KAA Gent at Wembley Stadium on February 23, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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Mauricio Pochettino wants Tottenham to spend big this summer

Tottenham fans have been sent into panic move after numerous reports surfaced linking Mauricio Pochettino with a move to Barcelona. I suppose such a move could happen this summer, but it isn’t the most likely scenario.

The most likely explanation for Pochettino’s refusal to completely rule out a move to La Liga, is that he wants to leverage the rumours to his advantage. More specifically, Pochettino wants to use the Barcelona gig to encourage Daniel Levy to sanction more transfer spending this summer.

Think about it for a moment. Pochettino has a contract with Spurs that doesn’t end until 2021. His contract doesn’t contain a release clause. That means it’s going to be very difficult for Barcelona to steal Pochettino away from Spurs. Levy would force the Catalan giants to pay an enormous fee to let his manager go from his current contract.

With that knowledge, you have to wonder why Pochettino would let these rumours continue. After all, he could easily throw cold water on the reports by completely denying interest in the La Liga giants. As you’ve no doubt noticed, he’s fallen well short of taking that step.

Some Spurs fans see that as cause for real concern. Not me. I see it as a very encouraging sign for the club. Pochettino knows he still has a lot of work left to do at White Hart Lane. He can’t accomplish his goals if Levy refuses to spend money in the summer transfer window.

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Pochettino certainly understands the need for summer investment. Prior to Barcelona interest he might have struggled to prompt Levy into a serious financial commitment. The departure of Luis Enrique gives Pochettino a unique point of leverage to use against Levy.

Quite simply, Pochettino is flirting with Barcelona to put pressure on Levy to invest heavily in the squad this summer. Levy knows he can’t afford to let his manager leave under any circumstances. He might not want to spend upwards of £50 million this summer, but it’s certainly a better option than watching his manager leave.

That relatively modest investment in the squad could do wonders for the club. Remember, £16 million is already coming into the club’s coffers due to the sale of Nabil Bentaleb. A few other fringe sales could give Pochettino upwards of £75 million to spend.

That’s certainly enough cash to purchase an established striker plus another two-way midfielder. Tottenham may want to do more business than that, but that’s the minimum that should be required.

We all know how ruthless Mauricio Pochettino can be. We’ve seen him jettison players away from White Hart Lane without as much as a second thought. Now he’s using his ruthless nature to push Daniel Levy into spending outside his comfort zone. The Barcelona rumours may be the best thing to happen for Tottenham since Pochettino’s hiring.

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