Mauricio Pochettino hails 'perfect' Fernando Llorente, the first outfield player over 30 he has signed for Spurs

The former Swansea City striker is expected to start for Spurs on Wednesday night in their League Cup fourth-round tie with West Ham at Wembley

Fernando Llorente is the first player over 30 that Mauricio Pochettino has signed while in charge (Tottenham Hotspur FC)

Mauricio Pochettino says chairman Daniel Levy has never given him any restrictions as regards the age of his transfer signings, after Fernando Llorente became the first player over 30 Tottenham Hotspur have bought since the Argentine came in.

Pochettino rejected the idea that they only signed young players due the potential to increase in value, and said 32-year-old Llorente was the “perfect” purchase to be an alternative to Harry Kane.

The former Swansea City striker is expected to start for Spurs on Wednesday night in their League Cup fourth-round tie with West Ham United at Wembley.

“Never from the beginning here has Daniel Levy said to me ‘we cannot sign players who are over 25’,” Pochettino said. “Never. I promise you he’s never said that. All we do is try to find a profile that will fit what we need for the club but he has never said to me ‘that is the limit of the age’, we can or we cannot.

"It is important to analyse one thing: when you look at Harry Kane in the last few years, it is not easy to find the profile who can compete with him. It is not easy in the market to find a player who wants to come and do that, as everyone recognises him as one of the best strikers in the world and for a club like us it is not easy to find.

"That is why Llorente is perfect, and fits very well for us in our project.”

Fernando Llorente signed on deadline day (Getty)

Erik Lamela’s long-awaited return has meanwhile been delayed, meaning he will now have gone over a year since his last game for Spurs due to a hip problem. Pochettino says he is getting fit, but the issue is now more psychological and feeling right to play competitively.

“It’s the process – he is doing very well but he still he needs that click to make you feel confident and say ‘come on, now I can go to compete’. He is close. We are starting to feel he is close in the training sessions. Only now it is in his mind to feel ‘gaffer, now I am ready’.”