Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Harry Kane was caught up in the emotion that surrounded Francesco Totti’s final game for Roma and the Tottenham Hotspur manager expressed hope that his striker could also prove to be a one-club man.
Pochettino spoke on the eve of Tottenham’s Champions League Group H tie against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu and the subject of Kane dominated the press conference. Kane, who has 15 goals in his past 11 matches for Spurs and England, has been linked to Real, who have previously taken Luka Modric and Gareth Bale from White Hart Lane.
Pochettino was asked on several occasions about Kane and whether he could see him joining Real, whose coach, Zinedine Zidane, on Monday described Kane as a “complete player”.
Kane said recently that he would not rule out a move to a club in mainland Europe – Zidane similarly remarked “I don’t know what will happen in the future” regarding a possible move for Kane – but Pochettino brought up Totti and said it was possible that his player could emulate him.
Totti brought down the curtain on a glorious 25-year career at Roma at the end of last season and he broke down in tears during an on-field presentation after their game against Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico.
“Harry was so emotional when he saw the last game of Totti, who had only played at one club,” Pochettino said. “He was very emotional and what I say is that maybe Harry can have the same career as Totti. When he saw Totti’s farewell at Roma, that creates extra motivation. I hope he stays with us for a long time because he has great quality. He enjoys Tottenham and he probably identifies with the club more because he is from the academy.”
The theme of the day was the future of various personnel and Pochettino himself was drawn into the discussion. Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, has said he would like him to stay at Tottenham for 10 to 15 years in order to create a Sir Alex Ferguson-style dynasty.
Pochettino, who seemed happy to entertain the Madrid media, said he would like to do that. He also made it clear – not for the first time – that he would never manage Barcelona, due to his history as a player and manager at Espanyol.
“I always try to be honest,” Pochettino said. “I don’t like to lie. Sometimes, I lie a bit to my wife but not to the media. It’s impossible – I could not train Barcelona for many reasons, which we shouldn’t go deep into. I hope I stay 10 to 15 years at Tottenham. If he [Levy] wants, I would love to sign that contract. It’s always up to the owner or chairman to decide if you’re a manager for a short time or a long period.
“I’m enjoying my time at Tottenham. It’s a club with big potential, a new stadium coming and facilities which will be the best in Europe. I am happy to hear Daniel being so kind to me.”