Mauricio Pochettino wants to stay at Tottenham for the long haul, suggesting he would like to be at the club for at least another five years.
Pochettino’s future has been thrust into doubt after a difficult start to the season, which hit an alarming nadir on Tuesday when they were hammered 7-2 by Bayern Munich.
It was only four months ago that Spurs were in the Champions League final, yet Pochettino has cut an unhappy figure this season having been unable to overhaul his squad in the manner he would have liked.
He has already fended off suggestions he was about to quit earlier in the season and has again nailed his colours to the mast after that embarrassing midweek defeat.
‘In five-and-a-half years, in every single press conference we’re talking about my future,’ the Argentinian said.
‘I hope that we’re still talking it means we’re going to spend five more years at least.
‘This is a moment to stay all together. I accept the opinions when you don’t win, it doesn’t only happen at Tottenham, it happens in all the clubs in the world, at a different level too.
‘There is no doubt we are staying together and we are going to find the way to be successful again.
‘It is normal that [the Bayern] game creates a lot of opinion and rumours and everyone needs to talk.
‘In the end all that happened is that we lost a game. There is no doubt we are staying together and we are going to find the way to be successful again, no doubt.’
With the future of so many of his established players uncertain, some of Pochettino’s squad have been accused of no longer playing for their manager.
Pochettino shot that suggestion down, citing the Premier League win over Southampton with 10 men last Saturday as evidence of their unity.
Asked if he thought his players were still playing for him, he replied: ‘I really believe. I have no doubt the players always want to do their best to win.
‘They play for themselves, their families, then for the club and the coaching staff. I have no doubt they have commitment, with four years or one in their contract. The negative result like the other day was three days after beating Southampton with 10 men, it cannot change completely, the ideas or perception.’
Spurs’ plight has not been helped by the drop in form of Dele Alli, who has been hindered by hamstring injuries for much of the last 12 months.
Alli was left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, but Pochettino is expecting the 23-year-old to get back to his best.
‘There’s nothing wrong,” he said. “You need to understand that football is about form, about some not-so-good periods. Dele only needs time to recover his best performance. We’re going to help him, provide the tools and platform for him to recover.
‘There’s no doubt he’s going to recover. He’s in a tough period but we need him, he’s a very important player for us. In time, we’re going to recover the best Dele Alli.’
Spurs are hoping to bounce back from their midweek mauling when they visit Brighton on Saturday lunchtime.
Serge Aurier is suspended and Pochettino has hinted that midfielder Moussa Sissoko will fill the void at right back, having done so following Aurier’s red card last week.
‘I think Moussa was very good playing one hour against Southampton with tough players like [Sofiane] Boufal or [Nathan] Redmond,’ Pochettino added.
‘He did very well and that made me think a little bit that his option is bigger than another player.’