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Boss Jose Mourinho is confident he can win trophies at Tottenham and does not think the club needs to make a “huge investment” in the new season.
Mourinho, appointed in November, has a three-year contract and believes that in time he can deliver Spurs’ first silverware since the 2008 League Cup.
Spurs host Arsenal in today’s north London derby with both sides competing to earn a Europa League spot.
“How long it took for Jürgen [Klopp] and Liverpool?” asked Mourinho. “Four years, four seasons. Buying one of the best goalkeepers in the world, buying one of the best centre-backs in the world, and so on.
“I’m focused on my three-year contract. I believe that in my three-year contract we can win trophies. If we don’t, but the club does it in the new era, if I stay here, only for three years, I will be happy with that.”
Tottenham spent more than £100-million (R2-billion) last year, including on record buy Tanguy Ndombele, who has made just two substitute appearances since the restart, but also endured a string of injuries to key players earlier this season.
“I work for the club. I’m not thinking about myself,” added Mourinho. “I keep saying that my ambition is the same, my DNA is the same, but probably I am in the stage where I look less to myself and my records and more to the club.
“I am optimistic because I start working from day one, because I believe we are going to make some changes in our squad, and for that we don’t need a huge investment like the club made in the past summer. I cannot believe that the season is going to be so full of negative episodes like we’ve had since practically day one. There are many reasons to believe that it is going to be different.”
Spurs reached the Champions League final last June under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, but are set to record their lowest points tally in the league since 2008/09, when they finished eighth. It has led to criticism of chairman Daniel Levy by some fans, which Mourinho says in unfair.
“The only thing that I feel is quite an injustice is to forget that the best stadium in the world is here, the best training ground in the world is here, and around £100-million investment in the summer. That was probably one of the biggest investments by a Premier League club [that] is considered quite not committed with evolution or not committed with an investment – £100-million.
“Then you can discuss good, bad, successful, not successful. You can discuss all these things. But nobody can discuss that around £100-million was on the table in the last summer, which I think is proof, open proof, that the club wanted to invest.”
Mourinho, whose side failed to register a shot on target in a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth on Thursday, also defended his record.
Only Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton and Wolves have taken more points than Spurs since his appointment.
“There is a past before I arrived which was already a very difficult situation to manage. Everything was so, so strange during the season, so it’s difficult to speak about evolutions.”
I am optimistic because I believe we will make changes in the squad
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton (1pm); Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (3.15pm); Spurs v Arsenal (6.30pm); AFC Bournemourth v Leicester City (8pm)