By the second half of this season, it was clear that Spurs had very little left in the tank. The failure to sign a single player during the summer 2018 or January 2019 windows had caught up with them. Pochettino had wanted a clear-out for years, getting rid of players who he knew would get tired of his methods, replacing them with new, hungry players who would willingly buy-in.
At the end of the 2017-18 season, Pochettino had publicly urged the club to “be brave and take risks”. But Levy never wanted Spurs to be a selling club and so, with the exception of
Kyle Walker, who was sold to Manchester City in 2017, the players stayed put.
Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and the rest were all still there. And there was no space — or money — for anyone to come in to replace them.
By the start of Pochettino’s fifth season in charge, there was a feeling of staleness around the club. The energy levels, which had been so high on and off the pitch in the first few years, were dropping. Everyone’s tolerance levels for each other were wearing off. Things which the players used to buy into — like the lack of days off — became a source of irritation or even resentment.
So despite Pochettino signing a new five-year contract in May 2018, and despite the new stadium opening in April 2019, beneath the surface it was starting to feel like something was coming to an end.