Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview that his manager Mauricio Pochettino is one of the best in the world and that it is an exciting time to be playing for the club.
Tottenham have not won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup and the last top flight title came back in 1961. However, they have finished third and second in the past two seasons and have a collection of top young players like Dele Alli and Harry Kane who have pushed them to another level.
Lloris, 30, signed a new contract at the end of last year and the club captain insists that he is excited by what this team could achieve.
"It was important to make this step and you know since the beginning of my time with Spurs I believed in the project and even more under Mauricio Pochettino because he's one of the best managers in the world," he said.
"I understand completely his football and we have the same philosophy and we share the same values in football and that's the most important thing for me and then it's true we have a young generation, a lot of English players, and they have the potential to get up there and I try to lead them as a captain, as a friend too, as a teammate.
"And then, you know, the club is very competitive too, we show that every season in the Premier League, it's true that we need to improve in European competition compared to the other clubs in Europe, but listen, step by step we are building something strong at Spurs and it's a very exciting time to be a Spurs player."
Lloris is a softly spoken leader within the Tottenham team, but insists that he can be as passionate as anyone when it comes to winning.
"I can do it [get angry], you know, it's about personality," he said. "You have a personality inside the pitch and off the pitch and in the changing room too, the most important thing is to be respected by your teammates and that's the case at Tottenham.
"I try to lead by example too, always the first to demand a progression, and you know it's very easy to lead a changing room like at Tottenham because it's a very clean changing room, everyone wants to improve, everyone wants to play at a high level and everyone is ambitious, we have the same ambition that's the most important thing in the team."
There have been suggestions that Tottenham lack the winning mentality and grit to challenge for the Premier League title, but Lloris believes that will come with time.
"I don't think it's about that, it will come step by step," he said. "It's true in football or in any sport, it's important to get rewarded by your effort because you wake up every morning for that, to get rewarded by trophies but, as I said, Tottenham is an ambitious club, we need to be humble too, we don't have the same level as like Manchester United, like Manchester City, like Chelsea, they get used to winning the league. But I believe as soon as we get the first trophy it will happen behind that."
Lloris is also No. 1 for his national team, France, who have a similar focus to Tottenham on young talent and have been tipped to win the 2018 World Cup.
"In both cases, in both teams, there are a lot of talented players with a great potential but very young and they need time to get the maturity," he said. "But we have the talent, which is the most important thing. And then the mental, to push mentally and try to be as competitive as possible. Obviously football is about the details and everything can happen."