Tottenham dressing room will be shocked by Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking, says former striker Darren Bent
Tottenham’s decision to axe Mauricio Pochettino left Darren Bent stunned.
Pochettino was sacked by Spurs on Tuesday after more than five-and-a-half years as manager.
Spurs have struggled in the Premier League this season but reached a Champions League final just six months ago, and Bent feels he deserved time to turn things around.
He told talkSPORT: “I’m shocked. I know this season hasn’t been great but he was punching above his weight. He established them as a top four side. You look at some of the players he’s worked with, like Harry Kane, and what he’s done for their careers.
“He got to the Champions League final last season, which people said wasn’t possible. They have been so close on numerous occasions to winning the league. For me it is a big, big shock.
“The timing is random for me. I couldn’t quite get my head around it. When I saw it, someone sent me the picture, and I thought it was a joke.
“Just think about what he’s done for that club as well in a relatively short space of time. He had the whole Wembley Stadium thing to deal with, the lack of investment. He managed to get them to a Champions League final and for them to get rid of him now, I just can’t see it.
“I thought they would have persevered with him until the end of the season or at least until January and if things had gone downhill they would have said ‘enough is enough’. Someone could have come in and started signing players in January and started to take the club forward.”
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Bent, speaking before Jose Mourinho's appointment was confirmed by the club, feels that the dressing room will be in shock and it could take a while for things to change.
He added: “It could go either way. I feel at the minute for the next couple of weeks they will be a bit stagnated as I’m sure a lot of players in that dressing room will be shocked.
“He had a close relationship with some of them. He’s developed some of them into world class players and all of a sudden they’ve got rid of him."
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