Dele deal hinged on Poch stay
REAL MADRID may well want Mauricio Pochettino but Dele Alli wants him to go nowhere.
England star Alli revealed Pochettino played a “massive part” in his decision to sign a new six-year, £150,000-a-week deal with Tottenham this week.
The Argentinian manager is back in Madrid’s sights after they sacked Julien Lopetegui and put Santiago Solari in temporary charge while they hunt for a longterm replacement.
Asked about Madrid after the Carabao Cup win over West Ham, Pochettino issued a reminder that his contract at Spurs runs until 2023 and has no release clause.
In short, it will cost a huge amount to prise him away. Alli said: “He’s a massive part of wanting to be at this club. The fans are amazing, the chairman, everyone, the whole club is amazing.
“But as players, you work with the gaffer, you want to have a good relationship with the manager and we all feel like we have that here. We all love the way we work. The style of play, we all want to be a part of it. He’s done a lot for me so far and hopefully he can keep helping me to improve.
“He’s a very nice guy but at the same time, he can’t be too nice. Everyone has got a lot of respect for him. You don’t want to get on his bad side.”
With Pochettino overseeing his continued development, the 22-year-old believes he is in the best place to keep improving.
Alli said: “I had to think about what is best for my career and where I can improve. I want to become the best player I can be. I’m at a great place to do that.”