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Mauricio Pochettino has admitted his Tottenham
Spurs finished second in the Premier League last season but have been installed as fourth favourites for the title this term with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United having spent a combined £300m on new players.
“Maybe they have a bit of an advantage and are ahead of us because they signed players and kept the players they want,” Pochettino said after Tottenham’s 3-0 pre-season defeat against City in Nashville on Saturday night.
Show all 8 1 /8Tottenham summer transfer targets Tottenham summer transfer targets Tottenham summer transfer targets Which players could Spurs sign this summer?
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Tottenham summer transfer targets Joshua King, Bournemouth Norwegian striker Josh King has had a fine season, scoring 16 goals for a Bournemouth side which hovered precariously above the relegation zone for parts of the season. He played a key role in keeping the Cherries up and, given his performances, has caught the interest of Tottenham. The player admitted in an interview earlier in the season that he is pleased that Spurs have recognised his talents - comments which have added fuel to the fire over a potential £15m move. Pochettino is eager to solve the goalscoring issue his team faces when Harry Kane is injured or rested and King, who also qualifies as home-grown, could be the ideal solution.
Tottenham summer transfer targets Max Meyer, Schalke Schalke set the midfielder’s price-tag last summer at £45m for interested teams, but having remained at the club, Meyer has stalled over signing a new contract. With his current deal expiring next summer there is a realistic chance he will look to move on, and for a significantly lower fee than originally stated, at around £20m. Tottenham are among those monitoring his situation and could look to bring him in to increase squad depth ahead of another packed season.
Tottenham summer transfer targets Ben Gibson, Middlesbrough A similar case to Michael Keane, the 24-year-old centre back is highly rated and won his first England call-up against Lithuania this year. Chelsea, who view him as an ideal replacement for the departing John Terry, seem to be in the driving seat. With Kevin Wimmer looking likely to leave, Tottenham will be in the market for a centre-back and hold interest in Gibson, though Chelsea’s eagerness to secure his signature may complicate things.
Tottenham summer transfer targets Ross Barkley, Everton The Everton midfielder has obvious talent but has failed to perform consistently at his club. It is thought a change of scenery to invigorate his career is something the player would consider, and Tottenham are keen to snap him up if the chance arises. Barkley’s contract expires next summer and it is believed that Ronald Koeman will look to cash in on the playmaker to avoid losing him for free next season. That is no surprise, especially as he could cost interested clubs £30m.
Tottenham summer transfer targets Demarai Gray, Leicester City Pochettino’s preference to buy players who already possess Premier League experience could see the Leicester winger, 20, become the subject of Tottenham interest this summer. Gray made 72 appearances for Birmingham City, where he came through the ranks, before joining Leicester in 2016 and gained 12 league caps to help the club win the Premier League title. With bags of pace and potential, he has also represented England from U18 to U21 level and is tipped for future success. A fee of £12m could be enough to prise the youngster away from Leicester this summer.
Tottenham summer transfer targets Ryan Sessegnon, Fulham The young left-back has now turned 17 and, as a result, is legally allowed to sign his first professional contract. A host of top clubs have scouted the player, who impressed at Craven Cottage in Fulham’s televised FA Cup tie against Tottenham back in February, but the West Londoners are keen to keep hold of him by guaranteeing him first team football. Tottenham have been strongly linked to the youngster in recent days, though, and Fulham can expect a fight to hold onto the defender.
Tottenham summer transfer targets Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace The winger recently signed a new five-year contract at Selhurst Park in a move that will surely repel any interested clubs. Nonetheless, football works in mysterious ways and having already made a move for the winger last season, there’s no reason Spurs won’t come knocking a second time. Having said that, Tottenham would need to be serious in what they offer, as opposed to last summer’s £12m bid, if they’re to stand any chance of bringing Palace to the trading table.
“We are a little bit behind, working hard in trying to sign some players to try to bring some new energy and make our team more competitive.”
Pochettino picked out the league’s top spenders City as a prime example of a club having a different approach to Spurs who have instead focused on developing youngsters.
“City have more senior players than us and they invest more money than us. We have a lot of young players on the bench,” the Argentine added.
“It’s completely different, the squads, but we are busy [with] the squad.”
One of City’s biggest outlays was on Spurs full-back Kyle Walker who was booed by the north London club’s fans when the sides met over the weekend.
“The fans showed they are disappointed,” Pochettino added.
“Tottenham fans love him and he spent nine years at the club. It’s more a spontaneous feeling that they showed.
"They don’t take it personally, only to show him they were disappointed.”
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