Poch glory drive picking up speed

MAURICIO POCHETTINO maintains Spurs are ready to keep pace in the title race – even though they are lining up in an inferior car.

While the other top clubs spent big in the summer, Spurs did not sign a single player.

But they have equalled their best start to a Premier League season and are just two points off the top spot heading into tomorrow’s trip to West Ham.

Pochettino said: “It’s like we are in the same race but we have completely different vehicles. But when you compete, you compete.”

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy this week told the club’s supporters’ trust that their new 62,000-seater stadium will not directly affect their transfer policy.

Boss Pochettino added: “The problem is that when he always talks to the trust, he always waits until I am away!

Difficult

“When we talk, we need to talk about reality. If you want to sign player ‘X’ and that’s your target, you ask his club for his price and it is £100m.

“We have to say, ‘Ah, well we have money but not enough to sign what we need or what we want’. Then you need to move on.

“It was difficult to get the player we needed. I am happy with the squad I have, 25 players. “We have no regrets.

“When we started the season with three wins and were at the top of the table people were talking in a different way, ‘Oh, how clever are Tottenham, because they keep all the squad from last season’.

“After we lost some games, all the alarms started to make a big impact.

“But I need to remind everyone that this is our best start after eight games, it is the best start in the Premier League for Tottenham.

“We have one more point than last season and I am still not happy about that because we are fifth in the table and the ambition is to be on the top.

“At the same time we are realistic and with all the circumstance we suffered in the summer, with the World Cup and the players that arrived the week before the start of the season, the challenge was bigger for everyone.

“We kept fighting and we are very close to the top of the table.

“Yes, we are happy but we are trying to improve, trying to be ambitious and be top of the table.”