Pochettino eyes end to transfer drought

NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom: Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham Hotspur’s 2- 0 victory at Newcastle United in their Premier League opener has not altered his desire to finally strengthen his squad before the transfer deadline.

Pochettino remains aware Tottenham lack the depth and quality to compete in four competitions this season after failing to make a single closeseason signing while their rivals all spent big money on new recruits.

The Spurs boss was encouraged that they started the season by winning a game that was finely balanced until Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey was sent off early in the second half on Sunday.

Newly- promoted Newcastle had coped comfortably with the Tottenham attack, but Shelvey’s foolish stamp on Dele Alli was the turning point.

Goals from Alli and Ben Davies punished Shelvey’s rush of blood, but Pochettino still wants to bring in new players before the transfer window shuts at the end of August as he aims to emulate last season’s title challenge.

“It was important to start with three points, but it wasn’t a great game and wasn’t our best performance. The most important thing for me was starting the season in the right way,” he said.

“The balance of the team is the main thing and we need some new players to bring some new energy. It is important to challenge your best players and refresh the squad.

“We are calm enough to compete in the same way as we competed last season, but we need to sign some players before the end of the transfer window.

“We have 10 months to go and we are involved in four competitions, so we need more competition, more quality and more people who can help keep the level we want to show in every game.”

Pochet ti no insisted that Tottenham would have triumphed even if Shelvey had stayed on the pitch, although there was little evidence to support that claim.

“Of course we would have won. But it was difficult to play because the pitch was so dry and Newcastle played deep,” he said.

“It was difficult to find space to create chances. In the second half we played against 10 men and that always helps and made it more comfortable for us.” — AFP