Spurs boss: Liverpool have shown that a host of strikers doesn’t guarantee success
Mauricio Pochettino says Liverpool have shown that having a large selection of strikers does not guarantee success.
But he concedes Spurs need to add more firepower to their squad and has discussed the qualities of the versatile Lyon forward Clinton N’Jie, who seems set to join the Lilywhites.
With Roberto Soldado hoping to finalise a move to Villarreal and Emmanuel Adebayor out of favour, Harry Kane is currently Tottenham’s only senior forward – yet Pochettino said earlier today that the club only needs to sign one striker.
Asked whether that would really give Spurs enough options in their front line, given how many forwards Liverpool have, as an example, the head coach said: “You never know. Sometimes you have five strikers, like Liverpool last season, and they were sixth in the table.
“Harry Kane scored 31 goals and Adebayor scored [two] and Soldado scored [five]. You never know in football. We need to bring the right profile, the right striker to help the team.”
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Cameroon international forward N’Jie looks set to join Spurs but, since he can play in wide positions or centrally, it is unclear whether he would be the second striker that Pochettino is looking for, or whether he would fulfil a different role.
“He is another player [who has been mentioned] in the papers,” said Pochettino. “If you ask me if I know N’Jie? Yes, I know N’Jie. He is a player who can play in different positions. He is very fast, he is a very good player.”
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Asked if Spurs need more pace in their side, Pochettino replied: “Maybe, yes.” And, asked if he sees N’Jie as a striker or a winger, the head coach responded: “I see he can play different positions.”
Whatever happens, Soldado’s time at Tottenham appears to be over after a hugely underwhelming two years following his move from Valencia, where he scored 76 goals in three years.
“I don’t know [why it hasn’t worked for him here],” said Pochettino. “Football is not mathematics. Sometimes there are a lot of reasons that are difficult to explain, but I think it wasn’t easy for him to adapt his game in England at Tottenham.”
Follow me on Twitter @BenPearceSpurs
