Harry Kane has called on his fellow Tottenham stars to “perform to the highest level” to help both the team and their personal situations.
A number of Spurs players – namely Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose – were linked with the exit door in the summer but ended up staying put.
Alderweireld and his centre-back partner Jan Vertonghen, who himself has an uncertain future at the club, have been starting matches despite almost leaving in the transfer window, as has Rose and – to a lesser extent – Eriksen.
Pochettino has had no choice but to keep faith in those players as a result of injuries and other squad issues, leading to suggestions the uncertainty around their futures is affecting on-pitch performances and results.
And Kane has now issued a rallying cry after admitting the transfer window unsettled the group.
“Obviously in the transfer window just gone, there were players who maybe wanted to leave, and it was public knowledge that there were players close to leaving who stayed,” Kane told Sky Sports.
“So it’s never easy when you have a situation like that, but now that’s closed, we all just want to move in the right direction.
“Whoever is on the pitch has to give everything for the club, that’s all we can ask for. You have to kind of put your individual needs to one side and make sure you’re performing to the highest level, because that will help your individual status anyway.”
If the collapses against Olympiacos and Leicester City weren’t enough to shake Spurs out of their stupor, hopefully the embarassing Carabao Cup exit at League Two side Colchester United will be a significant wake-up call to the under-performers in the squad.
Tottenham face Southampton at home on Saturday – check out our predicted XI here.
Son in my opinion tries very hard, if another four or five players match his work rate and commitment Spurs can surely win the league COYS