Hugo Lloris has urged Tottenham to keep the faith in their project and not to “throw everything in the bin” after the Champions League final defeat by Liverpool as attention turned towards a summer of expected transition.
The captain accepted there would be speculation over Mauricio Pochettino, who did not entirely quash it after the match in Madrid, which finished in a 2-0 Liverpool win. It felt a little strange that players were discouraged by club officials from answering questions about the manager’s future.
The message from Lloris and others in the squad was that lessons had to be learned from the defeat but the run to the final and the sense of year-on-year improvement had to serve as a stepping stone to better things.
“To bring Tottenham to a Champions League final will never match the feeling of winning it and to lose was painful for everyone,” said Lloris. “But it is a positive thing [to reach the final] and we have to build from that to take the club to where it wants to go.
“We cannot throw everything in the bin. It’s been a big step for the club and the only thing we can look to do is come back stronger next season.”
Jan Vertonghen said: “We have a great team. Hopefully everyone can stay together and we can achieve great things. I hope everyone stays. Will there be an overhaul? I don’t know. Today we live with disappointment and we’ll see what happens in the summer.”
Pochettino also touched on the need to keep building, which sounded positive in terms of his future with the club. “We need to keep going, we need to be clever now,” he said. “Always after a painful situation like this, it’s about building the success and building the next period in your life.”
Pochettino refused to confirm he would be at the club next season. Asked directly whether he would do so, he replied: “It’s not a moment now to talk too much. “You can interpret things in different ways. Now is the time to stay calm and change the mood. For sure, we are going to have time to talk.”
He suggested last month he might walk out on a high if he were to win the Champions League. That has not happened, while Manchester United and Real Madrid, clubs that have previously coveted him, have recently appointed new managers on long-term contracts. It is unclear whether joining Juventus, who have parted company with Max Allegri, would be an option for him.
Pochettino also said last month he could leave if he did not believe in Daniel Levy’s plans for the club’s development. What is clear is Pochettino will eagerly anticipate talks with the Spurs chairman about what is possible regarding the next phase. In his heart, Pochettino knows money will remain tight owing to the cost of the club’s new stadium. He joked last week that Levy had lightened up as a person but “it’s not that he’s going to give us more money now – this area is not going to change; he’s going to be strong”.
Pochettino wants to refresh the squad and it is likely he will have to generate funds from the sale of players. Christian Eriksen, who has one year to run on his contract and has said nothing about staying, could be the key, with Levy believing the midfielder to be worth £130m.
Toby Alderweireld has a release clause of £25m this summer while the futures of Kieran Trippier (wanted by Napoli), Danny Rose, Fernando Llorente, Victor Wanyama, Michel Vorm, Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou could lie elsewhere. Alderweireld is considering whether to see out the final year on his contract, which could give him better options next summer.
Spurs have shown an interest in the Roma midfielder Nicolò Zaniolo and the Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon – both 19 – along with the Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 21, and the Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek, 22. As he has done so often in the past, Levy appears to be targeting young talents with potential and resale value. Pochettino’s admiration for Palace’s 26-year-old winger Wilfried Zaha is well known but would he be too expensive?
It is plain Spurs’s project will continue to exist on different lines to those at other top English clubs. Lloris made the point that Liverpool’s targets were much broader. “There is one club who sets out to win every competition in which they play and that is not the case with Tottenham,” Lloris said. “We work and try to stick with the philosophy of the board, the manager and the club. We look to improve every season.”
Harry Winks was left to sound the optimsim for the future. “What next? Win the Champions League,” the midfielder said. “We are more than capable of doing that. We have shown in the final against Liverpool that we are up there with Europe’s best.”