Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has denied rumours that circulated on Thursday that Dele Alli would be offered a new lucrative contract.
According to The Sun, the England international was set to be offered a £100,000-a-week deal in an attempt to secure his future and fend off interest from Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old has been in fine form in recent weeks as he has taken his goalscoring tally to 11 for the season and is playing a pivotal role in getting Spurs back into the Premier League title race.
Speaking to the media at his press conference on Friday, Pochettino addressed the rumour of a new contract, and while he reiterated that Alli is happy at the club, he insisted that no new contract is on the table given that his star man signed one in September.
“He’s happy, and I don’t think we can extend contracts and improve salaries every few months,” a smiling Pochettino told reporters. “I don’t like to talk about rumours, the most important thing is that he’s happy and he’s performing well.”
Ultimately, that is all that matters. Alli is already committed to the club until 2022, and if he’s happy to stay and content that Spurs are pushing on and competing for trophies, then there is little reason for him to look elsewhere.
From the club’s perspective, they can ill-afford to lose a player of Alli’s quality, and so by insisting that no new deal is on the table, they could be put in a difficult situation if Real come knocking.
However, they also have to stick to their guns and not give in to pressure from the media or otherwise, and Pochettino handled the situation effectively to hopefully, on his part, end all talk of a possible exit.