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Pochettino confirms he will stay

Tottenham manager says there is no buy-out clause in his contract as reports suggested

 

LEICESTER TOTTENHAM

Mauricio Pochettino has guaranteed he will still be Tottenham manager at the start of next season and insists there is no buy-out clause in his contract.

Spurs have already secured a second-placed finish in the Premier League and sealed Champions League football for another year.

Pochettino has faced questions about his own future in recent weeks, amid interest from Barcelona and Inter Milan, with some reports in Italy suggesting his contract includes a buy-out clause.

The Argentinian, however, dismissed speculation he could leave Tottenham this summer.

"No, no buy-out clause in my contract. I will stay here next season," Pochettino said.

"There are many rumours but I am committed to the club and have no reason to leave. I will stay here, don't worry. On July 3, for pre-season, I will be here, don't worry."

Worryingly, however, star midfielder Dele Alli has refused to give similar reassurances.

Yesterday, he said that he is focused on enjoying his "journey" in professional football even if it means leaving the Premier League club.

Alli was an integral part of Tottenham's title challenge, netting 17 goals and providing five assists to help his side stay close to champions Chelsea until a 1-0 defeat at West Ham United on May 5 finally ended their chase.

"You can never say what's going to happen in the future," Alli told Sky Sports.

"No one knows. No one can predict it.

"But for me, it's important that I enjoy the journey I'm on, whether I stay at Tottenham for the rest of my career or if one day I have to leave and it's the right thing for me to do.

"I'm always going to be thinking about what's going to get the best out of me, and if that's going to be at Tottenham or if I have to leave it's just important I enjoy the journey and don't get too worried about how it's going to end."

Meanwhile, Tottenham announced yesterday that Erik Lamela had undergone surgery on his right hip after having an operation on his left hip at the start of last month.

Lamela, who has not played since Oct 25, is expected to be back for the start of next season and the club said in a statement that the latest procedure will not affect his recovery time.

Spurs are facing a shortage of fullbacks when they visit Leicester tomorrow morning (Singapore time) after the club announced Danny Rose underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and will miss the rest of the campaign.

Kieran Trippier sustained concussion against Manchester United last weekend and is unavailable, while Kyle Walker has a minor ankle injury and will also miss out.

Rose has been out since the end of January.

Pochettino said: "I sent him a text yesterday (Tuesday) after the surgery and we exchanged some texts.

"Now it is a moment to give time to recover after yesterday and I will be here on Friday to check how he is.

"He will have all our support."

Leicester are also facing a lengthy injury list, and will be without a host of senior players tomorrow morning.

Wes Morgan (hamstring), Robert Huth (foot), Nampalys Mendy (ankle), Danny Drinkwater (thigh) and Andy King are all sidelined for the Foxes. - WIRE SERVICES

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