Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: Money does not buy success

05 February 2016 12:23

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino insists he does not have to splash the cash to bring success to White Hart Lane.

Spurs chose not to buy any senior players during the January transfer window despite concerns surrounding the club's reliance on Harry Kane up front.

Andros Townsend was sold to Newcastle for £12million but the money was not reinvested as Pochettino continues to place faith in youth and squad harmony ahead of big-money signings.

Tottenham's net spend stands at around -£6m during Pochettino's four transfer windows in charge, with expensive arrivals like Heung Son-min and Toby Alderweireld offset by the sale of fringe players like Roberto Soldado, Paulinho and Etienne Capoue.

Pochettino said on Thursday Spurs fans should expect a "tough period" as the club saves money for the new stadium opening in 2018-19, but the Argentine believes success can still be achieved on a budget.

"We grow up in this financial world and my quote is always, 'Football is not an ordinary business'. That is very important," Pochettino said.

"You can spend a lot of money and create a big team and win everything.

"But sometimes you can maybe not spend too much money and buy cleverly and by mixing the pieces you can build a big team too.

"For me, this is the most important thing - to be clever and try to discover the best way to get success."

He added: "If you get success, you are shown to be right. If not, the people kill you. You are always going to take decisions against the normal way that everybody is thinking."

Spurs host Watford on Saturday, sitting third in the table on the back of five consecutive victories in all competitions.

Leicester's remarkable season has kept the spotlight away from Spurs but Pochettino's men remain in the race at the top, sitting two points behind Manchester City and only five back of the Foxes.

"In my experience it is better to show than speak," Pochettino said.

"In football when you speak too much only you can wait for the worst."

Watford will present a tough challenge this weekend, as proven by the reverse fixture in December when only a late Son goal snatched a 2-1 win at Vicarage Road.

The defeat began a four-match losing run for the Hornets but Quique Sanchez Flores' side have picked up in recent weeks, beating Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup before holding Chelsea to a goalless draw on Wednesday.

"They played very well against a good team like Chelsea," Pochettino said.

"I was at the game and you can see they are a very good team with good players.

"Quique Sanchez Flores is a great manager and it will be good to meet him on Saturday.

"We need to be focused because they are a very tough team and we expect a very difficult game."

Source: PA