One former Spurs defender, Ryan Sessegnon, who was signed by Mauricio Pochettino, has admitted that he barely spoke to the Argentine boss during his time in North London.
Tottenham Badge Logo Crest
Wing-back failed to fulfil his potential at Spurs
Ryan Sessegnon was considered to be one of the best young talents in English football when he made the switch to Tottenham in 2019.
In theory, it should have been an excellent fit, given the way, pacy, young players had thrived under Pochettino.
However, instead, the left-back did not play a single game under the Argentine, who was sacked just a few months after his arrival, being replaced by a manager with a polar-opposite style in Jose Mourinho.
Hotspur Way
Ryan Sessegnon opens up on early days at Spurs
Sessegnon revealed that since he was injured in his early months at the club, he was not allowed in team meetings and was barely around the playing group when Pochettino was in charge.
The 24-year-old told Rising Ballers: “I’d just come back from the U21s Euros and I got injured in that tournament. I arrived injured. I turned up and I wasn’t training, I was in the physio room, and I didn’t have much contact with Poch or the team.
“At the time he didn’t want injured players in his meetings or stuff like that. He welcomed me to the club and all of that stuff, but I wasn’t around the players or stuff at the time.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“By the time I got back, I went to England U21s camp in November that season, when I came back Pochettino got sacked. So I didn’t have much of a relationship with Poch, even though he brought me to the club.”
Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Chelsea, looks dejected after his side concede during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelse...
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Mauricio Pochettino was never the same at Spurs after Champions League final
It is clear that something broke between Pochettino and Spurs after the 2019 Champions League final loss, with the Argentine simply not having the same energy from next season.
It is a shame as the signings that Spurs made in 2019 (Sessegnon, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele) might have all thrived under the Poch, but all of them flattered to deceive under counter-attacking managers who followed.
Related Posts
Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know