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Glenn Hoddle believes ‘four or five players’ know they are leaving Tottenham
Tottenham have had a poor start to the season both domestically and in Europe.
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Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle claims there are “four or five players” in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad who know they are leaving the club by the start of next season.
Spurs have three first-team stars out of contract next summer in Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.
And Hoddle believes players knowing they will leave has a big negative effect on a team’s performances.
“I think there’s four or five players that know, next season, they’re not going to be here,” Hoddle said on BT Sport.
I think there’s four or five players that know, next season, they’re not going to be here
“And if you know that, as a human being, you’re not going to go out and give absolutely everything.
“If there’s a 50-50 there, you’re thinking about your future, you know ‘where will I be? If this club don’t want me…’.
“The synergy of the club is completely different at the moment than it was for the last few years, on and off the pitch, it really is.
“I think these guys here, the owners, want to be in the top four every season in this beautiful stadium. The players and the manager now want to win silverware.
“I’ve said it before, the synergy isn’t right.”
Hoddle believes it is clear the intensity in Spurs’ play has gone this season and says that was clear in the 7-2 Champions League drubbing by Bayern Munich earlier this month.
“Here at home Tottenham always used to go, for the first 45 minutes, they went hell for leather, it was press, press, press,” he continued.
“They didn’t do it at Wembley, they haven’t done it in this new stadium, they haven’t done it away from home.
“The intensity, they used to stay at it. As soon as it came down [against Bayern Munich], the spaces that opened up, the diamond just wasn’t working, the space they have to the full-backs.”