Tottenham defender Danny Rose admits ‘we need two or three big buys’ and not players you have to Google to find out who they are
DANNY ROSE admits he is in awe of Manchester City and Chelsea’s squad strength — and has urged his Tottenham bosses to strike back in the transfer market.
The England left-back has singled out unsettled Everton ace Ross Barkley as one of the two or three top-class stars he believes Spurs should recruit.
As the blunt-speaking Yorkshireman put it: “I am not saying buy ten players, I’d love to see two or three — and not players you have to Google and say, ‘Who’s that?’ I mean well-known players.”
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Spurs are the only Premier League side not to have bought during the summer window.
And while Rose does not want the club to lose their admirable reputation for promoting youth, he claims Mauricio Pochettino’s squad needs fresh blood.
Rose, Tottenham’s long-serving current player having joined ten years ago, said: “Under Harry Redknapp we signed Rafa van der Vaart. It was like, ‘Wow, how did he do that?’
“I mean signings like that are what we need — that’s just my opinion.
“There are three weeks to go until the window shuts and you look at Man City and think, ‘If the window shut now they would be happy with the business they have done’.
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“Man United, more or less, are there — although I hear Mourinho may want one or two more players — but I am sure he’d be happy with his squad.
“As a Tottenham player I’d love to see more signings. It would lift me seeing a top player come through the door.
“I’ve seen a couple of players previously saying, ‘We don’t need a top signing or signings’. But I am sorry, I am not singing off the same hymn-sheet on that one.
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“I think we do need one or two top signings to strengthen the squad. I’m just not buying the idea that we don’t need anyone.”
Rose watched Tottenham’s 3-0 pre-season loss to City in Nashville last month — and had a similar sensation to seeing his team’s 4-2 FA Cup semi-final defeat against Chelsea in April.
The injured defender, 27, said: “I know it was only pre-season but I watched the game against Man City and I was just in awe of City.
“They only had Kyle Walker, Danilo and the goalkeeper Ederson out of the players they’ve just bought.
“Speaking to some lads when they got back, they’re saying: ‘City are taking off £200million and then they are bringing on Aguero, Toure and Sane’. That just speaks volumes to me.
“Anyone who says we don’t need any signings, I’m not buying into that.
“As a starting 11 we have one of the best in the league, without a shadow of a doubt, but after that . . .
“We played Chelsea in the Cup semi — Costa, Hazard and Cahill didn’t play.
“After 60 minutes, Conte has brought on Fabregas, Hazard and Costa and they’ve changed the match.
“I thought to myself, ‘Could we ever afford to play against a top team and afford to have Harry Kane, Dele Alli and a top centre-back not playing?’
“No disrespect to anyone but I don’t think we could do that and Chelsea did that to us. They’re still in the game, they bring on Costa, Hazard and Fabregas and they won.
“I definitely feel we need to bolster the squad.
“Under Harry, there were two Premier League-class players for every position. We are finishing even higher under Mauricio but we don’t have that depth now.
“The standard of training when there’s that much quality is amazing. I have competition for my place but why shouldn’t everyone have competition for their places?
“Top-class competition where, if you have two average games, you might lose your place. I have that and I don’t see why anyone else shouldn’t.
“I want world-class players to come through the front door to make you fight for your place.”
Rose’s England team-mate Barkley, who is being allowed to leave Everton, has long been linked with Spurs.
And Rose said: “Mauricio is a world-class manager and I can only voice my opinion — as a Tottenham ‘fan’ for the last six months.
“But hearing Ross might be available, well, I have played with and against Ross and bringing him through the door, in itself, would be a huge boost.
“I’m a huge fan. In terms of physical stature, right and left foot and trying to get him off the ball, he’s like Mousa Dembele. If Ross wants to push on to the next level, Mauricio Pochettino is the best manager to do that — just look how many players he has got into the England squad.”
While Spurs have yet to recruit this summer, there has been one significant departure — Walker’s £50m switch to Pep Guardiola’s City.
Rose, who has known Walker for 17 years since their days in Yorkshire schoolboy football, revealed he advised Pochettino not to sell the right-back.
He said: “Kyle leaving has been a big blow to me because when I play I am going into battle and when I am playing against the top people, I look over to Kyle and I fully expect Kyle to get the better of anybody.
“He was, and is, the best right-back in the league and seeing him sold to a title favourite and rival was hard.
“I wouldn’t expect Daniel Levy to tell me how to play football — we get on really well and he runs the club brilliantly — so I am not going to tell him how to run his club.
“But I didn’t want to see Kyle sold. I wish him all the best and he deserves what he is earning. City will win a trophy this season and he deserves to be part of that.
“I knew Kyle may have been moving at the end of last season and I did voice my view. ‘Try to keep him, he’s the best, why would we sell him?’ — I said that to the manager.
“But I’ve seen the manager say he feels Tottenham had the best of him and if that is what he feels, I fully respect the judgement of the manager and Daniel Levy.
“We do have a perfect replacement in Kieran Trippier. His crossing ability is the best I have played with and, as a person, he is one of the nicest I’ve ever come across.
“He looks like he’ll be Tottenham’s No 1 right-back. He deserves it and can flourish.”
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