Tottenham news: Pochettino calls on Daniel Levy to be more ‘brave’

Pochettino wants Tottenham to spend more this summer

Tottenham fans are very anxious about what the club will do this summer. Quite a few big name players are rumoured to be on the way out. By the same token, quite a few big name players are being linked with Spurs as well.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino’s position about the club’s recruitment policy is very clear. He’s calling on Daniel Levy and the rest of the higher-ups to be “more brave” with the moves they make. The gaffer didn’t elaborate further on what he meant by that comment, but it’s easy to read his meaning between the lines.

In this case, bravery is a synonym for spending more money. The club have done a lot to support Pochettino’s project during his tenure in charge, but backing him in the transfer market isn’t something Levy has fully embraced. This summer needs to be different if Tottenham are going to become legitimate Premier League title contenders next season.

There’s no reason to believe Manchester City are going to regress. That means Spurs have a pretty big gap to close. To make up the points necessary to top the English talent, Tottenham will need to spend significant money this summer. For the purposes of clarification that means a significant net spend. Levy can’t afford to just reinvest the money from first team players the club chooses to sell.

For example, if Toby Alderweireld is really going to be jettisoned this summer, the club need to spend big on one or two new centre backs. The club cannot afford to suffer a reduction of quality at any spot.

At left back, Danny Rose’s impending sale should be counterbalanced with the purchase of a talent like Ryan Sessegnon. That might prove to be a net spend of £10 or £20 million for Spurs, but that’s the cost of fielding a title-winning squad.

The real area where Tottenham need to invest big money is in the defensive midfield. Mousa Dembele leaving this summer is a foregone conclusion. Spurs absolutely must find a world-class midfielder to replace the talented Belgian. In fact, Pochettino should be asking Levy to buy an upgrade. Dembele has been good this season, but he doesn’t give the club moving forward. A legitimate two-way midfielder could revolutionize the way Tottenham attack opponents.

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We’re a long way off from finding out whether or not Pochettino will get his way. He’ll say the right things no matter what, but the proof will be obvious for all to see. If Tottenham have a significant netspend then they deserve credit for backing Pochettino. If not, they can’t have any qualms if Pochettino chooses to bail early on his Tottenham project.