Mauricio Pochettino has played down links with the vacant Real Madrid job by comparing them to the glance of an admiring woman.
The Tottenham manager has developed a taste for colourful metaphors this season having previously compared his side’s experience in the Champions League to a cow waiting for a train. Now, after another turbulent 10 days for the club, he used a romantic image to suggest the latest gossip should be cause for confidence in his squad.
“It is like you are with your girlfriend or wife and you are holding hands, walking down Oxford Street. But because you are so handsome another woman is looking at you. But your wife is so proud, and, rather than worrying, she is so happy to be with you and falls more in love with you.”
The wife in this situation refers to the Tottenham squad in general and Dele Alli in particular. The midfielder signed a new six-year contract this week, and said working with Pochettino had been a “massive” factor in his decision to renew.
The manager acknowledged that his players trust he will continue at Spurs, but warned that their allegiance must be first and foremost to the club.
“Yes, the players are confident in me,” Pochettino said. “But it is not that they attach to me only. If I believe that Dele is only going to sign a new contract because of me it’s a bad feeling. I think the club needs to always be above the manager and the players. The player must say I sign because I want to play for Tottenham. Otherwise it’s difficult to achieve big things.”
Spurs bounced back after bad results against PSV Eindhoven and Manchester City to knock West Ham out of the Carabao Cup in midweek, and they play at Wolves on Saturday fifth in the table, five points off the top.