Pochettino admits he is “not in charge” of Spurs transfer activity

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has made the revelation that he is not on the frontline when it comes to transfer dealings.

The Lilywhites had gone 18 months without making a single signing prior to this summer, but smashed their transfer record with the acquisition of Tanguy Ndombele for £55.5m earlier this month.

Pochettino’s transfer position: Five things to know…

• Spurs opted against making a single signing across 2018/19.
• They have since brought in two new recruits this window: Ndombele and Jack Clarke.
• In 2016 Pochettino extended his contract, with his title changing from head coach to manager.
• However, the Argentine has conceded that his latest job title needs to revert back to its original description.
• He has revealed that he has no influence in the club’s transfer policy and should therefore only be referred to as a coach.

Three years ago Pochettino’s title was altered from head coach to manager to reflect his ‘involvement in all aspects of the club’, but he has since admitted that his role is pigeonholed to coaching only, and his job description should therefore represent that.

“I’m not in charge, I know nothing about the situation of my players, I am only coaching them, trying to get the best from them,” Pochettino told reporters after Spurs’ 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Audi Cup.

“The type of things, that are going to happen or not happen, sell or buy players, extend contract or not extend contract: it’s not in my hands, it’s in the club’s hands and in Daniel Levy’s hands.”

Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.

Pochettino: Change my job title

Upon extending his contract in 2016 and having his job title amended, the 47-year-old said at the time: “We are agreed that it would be good, for myself, for the club, for all.

“It’s true that ‘manager’ is a word that means different things than head coach. Maybe I was always manager from the first day I arrived here – and maybe it describes my job better.”

However, the South American has since revised his own stance, believing his position in the club’s ranks is best suited to the job title of head coach rather than manager.

He said: “Maybe the club need to change my title description now, because my job now is to coach the team. Maybe they are going to change my title description. Like I told you before, I am not in charge about the individual situations.

“I am the boss designing the strategy to train, to play; the methodology; the philosophy in my area. But in another area . . . today, I think I am the coach.”