Tottenham legend Hoddle fears Pochettino and Spurs stars will leave unless wage structure is altered

Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle fears Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino and his star players could walk away from the club unless they are paid the kind of lavish wages that are becoming the norm in the Premier League.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Sport, Hoddle has warned Spurs chairman Daniel Levy that he will struggle to hold on to star names such as Harry Kane and Dele Alli in a football landscape that has seen finances explode to unimaginable levels in recent years.

While Kane is reported to be earning £100,000-a-week at Tottenham and Alli is on a contract for around £30,000-a-week less, Manchester United’s lavish deals to sign Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez and Manchester City’s big spending has pushed the Premier League wage demands to extravagant levels.

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While Hoddle hopes Kane and Alli do not have their heads turned by offers to double or treble their wages elsewhere, he suggests the current Tottenham squad could be broken up unless the club’s financial structure is amended.

“With the way things are going with wages and transfer fees, there has to be a danger that this Tottenham squad will be depleted unless they start paying the big money,” states BT Sport pundit Hoddle.

“It’s bizarre to see players earning £350,000-a-week, but that is where we are at now and the Tottenham chairman (Daniel Levy) needs to look at the situation and try to compete.

“If you asked the chairman whether he would accept an offer that was £5m less than another one he had on the table if he was selling a house or doing a business deal, he would say no, so on that basis, why would his manager players accept similar terms?

“I don’t know how much they would ask for Harry Kane in the transfer market, but it would be a lot. Well, if they want that kind of money and the player can get massive wages at another club, Spurs will have a problem. They cannot ask for huge money for players and say they can’s leave, but then not pay them.

“If Kane and Alli were to lead Tottenham to a Champions League semi-final this season and then go on to do well at the World Cup with England, their price will go up to any club wanting to buy them. Their value will also go up in terms of wages and that will be a problem for Tottenham.

“It is a concern where that will end up moving forward for the club because a lot of their rivals are paying a lot more than then at the moment in terms of transfer fees and wages.”

While Hoddle has concerns over Tottenham’s long-term ability to hang on to their star names, he is not worried by recent reports linking Pochettino with a move to take over at Real Madrid.

“If he had been at Tottenham for a year and a massive club like that came calling, it might be different, but we are not in that position,” he adds.

“He has been there for a while now, has had some success and his relationship with the chairman is very different to what he would get if he moved to Real Madrid.

“I feel he is trying to build something at Tottenham over a long period and so long he feels the club are backing him financially both in terms of keeping his best players and bringing in the ones he wants, he should be happy there.

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“What he does need is a trophy. When Spurs were trailing at Newport last Saturday with a few minutes to go, it felt like a massive blow to Pochettino and Tottenham’s season was about to be delivered, but Harry Kane got them out of that hole and now they can have a real go at that competition.

“A top four finish and a little run in the knock out stages of the Champions League would be fantastic, but the fans and the players will want to win something now. Even if people say the FA Cup is not what it used to be in terms of prestige, it is massive for Tottenham this season.”

Watch Spurs v Manchester United on BT Sport 1 on Wednesday 31st January from 7:15pm. BT Sport is where the best in sport go head to head, bringing you live coverage of the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Emirates FA Cup. For more information, visit www.BT.com/sport