Mauricio Pochettino confirms Spurs exit for Roberto Soldado after Erik Lamela blunder

Roberto Soldado has had a disastrous spell at Spurs

MAURICIO POCHETTINO has confirmed that Tottenham have given Roberto Soldado permission to talk to Villarreal hours after team-mate Erik Lamela tweeted his goodbye to the misfiring striker.

The Argentinian posted a picture of the pair eating dinner with the message “I enjoyed these two years that we share, I wish you well in your new club!! Good luck my friend!!” in both English and Spanish at 10am. The message was subsequently deleted.

Elsewhere on social media, fans posted pictures of him at Gatwick airport and claimed he had told them he was off to Villarreal.

The club had had a £12m bid rejected two weeks ago with Pochettino insisting at the time that the £30m acquisition was not for sale.

This time it seems like a loan deal could be in the offing, with a view to sell, to get Soldado into the shop window in La Liga perhaps to boost his final selling price.

 

Certainly Pochettino’s stance on Soldado’s availability for a move had changed.

“It is true that the club gave permission (for Roberto) to go to Spain,” he said. “As for what happens after, the club will announce if something happens or not.

“I think there are a lot of rumours today. I think you know sometimes something happens in football, but at the moment nothing to say.”

Pochettino’s big hope now is that Emmanuel Adebayor will join him, after making it clear to the Togo international and England winger Aaron Lennon that they are no longer part of his plans, sending them to train with the development squad.

“Adebayor is not in my plans and he knows from the end of the last season,” Pochettino said. “We spoke with him and with Aaron Lennon and it is all clear. There's nothing to say different to last week.”

 

The Tottenham manager refused to be drawn on the imminent arrival of £12m Cameroon international Clinton Njie but insisted that even though Harry Kane could be left as the only out-and-out striker at the club, he was only in the market for one more attacking player.

“I am very happy with the way that we are and the way that we take,” he said. “No worries. We have a very good team - a very young squad but with good balance.

“It is true we are looking for another striker, but we are working to take the right profile, the right player. We don't take a rash decision. We wait for the good opportunity to bring somebody in.

“You know there is a lot of rumours and when something happens the club announces at that moment.”