LONDON -- The next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing in the Premier League rather than La Liga, according to Mauricio Pochettino.
The Tottenham manager believes the world's best coaches are already in England, but the dominance of Spanish and German clubs in Europe, and the looming presence of Messi and Ronaldo in La Liga, suggests the best players are elsewhere.
But the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba in the Premier League suggests a shift and Pochettino, who has already compared Tottenham's 17-year-old forward Marcus Edwards to Messi, believes the next superstar will play in England, where clubs are richer.
"These types of players do not come around every day or every year," the 44-year-old told Spanish daily Marca. "Real Madrid and Barcelona already have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and no one will take them away.
"But with the economic power now that some English clubs have, the next superstar will play in England.
"Personalities and characters are good for the Premier League. The focus is on England because the best coaches or those who have won the most are here. It's a further motivation for me, I'm still learning and every weekend is a challenge."
Pochettino is facing a difficult spell after Tottenham dismally exited the Champions League with a 2-1 defeat at AS Monaco on Tuesday, though the club remain unbeaten in the league, with six draws and six wins from 12 matches.
Spurs travel to league leaders Chelsea this weekend and Pochettino believes they can still win the title, even if Saturday's opponents are one of several clubs with a financial advantage.
"We are still unbeaten and last season we were very, very close," he said. "With some luck we can be in first place. If we maintain the level and improve some aspects, we are sure to be up there.
"It's true that, with the construction of the new stadium, it limits the possibilities of investing more in the players, giving other teams like [Manchester] City, Arsenal, Chelsea, [Manchester] United or Liverpool the advantage.
"But this is another project, another story. What we must do is make smart decisions to be competitive and fight with clubs like those mentioned above.
"The mentality and work of the whole club is fundamental for success and all of our efforts are aimed at reducing the financial distance.
"What I have is a group of players who love to fight and compete for Tottenham and so far no one has beaten us. It shows that we can already compete on the pitch."