Boss key to my future says Spurs ace Alli

DELE ALLI is convinced that Mauricio Pochettino is staying at Tottenham.

The England star signed a new six-year, £150,000-a-week deal on Tuesday and said Pochettino is a “massive part” of why he wants to stay at Spurs.

The Argentinian boss is back in Real Madrid’s sights after they sacked Julen Lopetegui this week.

Santiago Solari is in temporary charge while the Spanish giants begin their hunt for a new long-term manager.

When asked about Real’s interest after Spurs’ 3-1 Carabao Cup win over West Ham on Wednesday,

Pochettino issued a reminder that he still has a contract that runs until

2023 with no release clause.

In short, it will cost mega-money to prise him away from Spurs.

And Alli, 22, is confident he will continue working under Pochettino for a while yet.

“He’s a massive part of wanting to be at this club,” said the midfielder.

Style

“You work with the gaffer, you want to have a good relationship with the manager and we all feel like we’ve got 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 development, Alli believes Spurs is the best place for him to keep improving.

When he was asked about the attraction of playing in Spurs’ heavily-delayed new stadium, Alli said: “It played a little part, not a massive part.

“The stadium and the training ground are great but you can have all that and still not improve as a player. As a young professional, I had to think about what is best for my career and where I can improve.

“It’s not all about winning trophies for me yet at my age.

“I want to keep improving and trying to become the best player I can be. I think I’m at a great place to do that.”

Alli celebrated his new deal by helping Spurs reach the Carabao

Cup quarter-finals where they will face north London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates next month.

Alli said: “It’s a big game. We want to get as far as we can in this competition.

“We want trophies, not only for us but for the fans as well.”