Emmanuel Adebayor has made an unimpressive start to the new season, but Mauricio Pochettino insists he has no worries over his Tottenham Hotspur number ten.
Having been cast aside by Andre Villas-Boas at the start of last term, Adebayor was brought back in from the cold when Tim Sherwood succeeded the Portuguese in December. The Togo international responded with 14 goals in 24 appearances, which led to suggestions he would be offered an extension to a contract which is currently set to expire during the coming summer.
Whilst the 30-year-old waits for a development on this front, his form has dropped off the pace this season. Adebayor has scored just one Premier League goal this campaign, in the 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers back in August, as Spurs struggle to keep pace with the early frontrunners. However, Pochettino insists he has no worries over the future of the former Arsenal ace.
“I believe in Emmanuel Adebayor,” said the former Southampton head coach. “We know always that a striker during some periods finds it difficult to score, but he made a lot of effort for the team. The more important thing is that we are convinced that he or another team-mate can arrive at the possibility to score, but I am happy with his performance. It is true that he knows he needs to score because a striker always lives to score, but I believe in him and have no problem.”
Adebayor was particularly ineffective during the 1-1 draw against the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium last weekend, and will look to bounce back should he be selected against Besiktas in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night. Having started Group C with a goalless draw at Partizan Belgrade, the capital club will hope to record their first win when the Turks arrive at White Hart Lane.
Another Tottenham player who has been in the headlines of late is Jan Vertonghen. The Belgium international defender has struggled to nail down a regular place in the starting XI this term, and after deciding against signing a new contract, it had been suggested that he and Pochettino had fallen out. However, the Argentine coach has poured water on such speculation.
“Maybe because I pick players in different games but any problem with Jan, this is wrong,” Pochettino told the Newham Recorder. “We have a lot of games ahead and need to see and analyse the performance and analyse the situation after the game. Maybe tired, maybe some problem, and after you need to manage. We have a strong squad and this is important.”
Is Adebayor worth a new contract, or should Spurs begin planning without his services? Let us know what you think by joining in the discussion below.
