Football
Dan Kilpatrick, Tottenham Correspondent 8y

Mauricio Pochettino says Spurs must be careful because of stadium spend

Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham's new stadium project leaves the club facing the same financial restrictions as those endured by rivals Arsenal after their move to the Emirates Stadium.

The Spurs coach said the road ahead is "very tough" and admitted that the club needs to be "careful" to ensure they move into their new home in the best possible condition.

The January transfer window closed on Monday with Spurs' only addition 17-year-old Shilow Tracey from non-League club Ebbsfleet United, leaving Harry Kane as their only recognised centre-forward.

It was the fifth consecutive window in which Spurs have made a profit and they are the only current Premier League club to have made a profit on transfers in the past five years.

Arsenal endured a thrifty -- and trophy-less -- period of financial restrictions after moving homes in 2006, as they paid-off their stadium costs, before spending on the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech since 2013.

Pochettino has previously said it is not his "philosophy" to buy players but he admits that Spurs need to be cautious in the transfer market while the £400 million Northumberland Park project continues.

"For us, it's very important to settle the strong basis and from that, start to build a strong squad because the potential of the club is massive for the future. We have in front a very tough period. From Spain I heard a lot, I read a lot -- always Google Translate, English to Spanish -- that Arsene Wenger said the toughest period of the club was in the period that they built the stadium," the Spurs coach told a news conference.

"And now I think that you need to know and the people need to know that this is a very tough period for us. The people are excited to see how we play and we need to be careful, because we need to arrive to the new stadium in very good condition to try to fight for everything and try to show that we are one of the best clubs and teams in the world."

Throughout January, Pochettino insisted he would not buy a striker for the sake of it but Spurs' decision not to enter the winter transfer market for a back-up for Kane left some sections of the supporters concerned.

"I don't feel that our supporters are worried about the team," Pochettino continued. "We are plus 25 goal difference -- we are in a very strong position when you compare to other teams. We have a very good balance and our people need to understand that Tottenham changed the vision, not of the football but in the way that we take decisions.

"For us today, to keep the balance, to find the right player -- not only the striker but in different positions -- is very important for us. The people need to realise that to improve our squad is a very difficult job. To pay money and to bring players is not the way that we took 18 months ago."

Nacer Chadli and Heung-min Son have both deputised for Kane at central striker in the Europa League and domestic cups this season and Pochettino has full faith in the duo, while reiterating that academy forwards Shayon Harrison, 18, and Kazaiah Sterling, 17, could also make the step-up.

"It's easier for me to say, 'OK, we bring this and this and this player.' But if we don't believe that can improve our squad, why? We have a lot of young players and many players that can play like a striker like Sonny or Chadli, that show they can score. And after, we have younger players that train with us like Shayon and Sterling.

"We need to give the chance to believe in the younger players because for our future, they will be very important players. We are in February and we have three months of competition in front. It's always difficult to bring players who always need time to settle. We have a perfect balance now."

With 14 matches remaining, Spurs are ahead of Arsenal and just five points shy of Premier League leaders Leicester, who face a trip to second-place Man City this weekend, while they are in the last-32 of the Europa League and the fifth-round of the FA Cup.

If the club's lack of a second striker costs them the chance to achieve "big things" this season, Pochettino is confident that success will come in the future.

"If in the end we achieve big things, everyone's happy, but if not, we created a very good basis to achieve in the next season. The project is very clear and we need to believe more when we have in front of us a difficult moment to take decisions.

"I read some players, like Toby [Alderweireld], saying that at Tottenham there are no heroes, and we are all together and our key is to be all together and to feel that. This is an important thing and a message for all of our supporters. The energy that we create and the synergy between our supporters and the team, that is very important for our future."

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