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Tottenham Hotspur's Fernando Llorente celebrates his goal with manager Mauricio Pochettino during the Premier League match at Wembley Stadium. January 2019.

Where are they now? Pochettino’s last 10 Tottenham signings

Nathan Egerton •

From Son Heung-min to Toby Alderweireld, Mauricio Pochettino made some sensational signings at the start of his time at Tottenham. 

But Pochettino had less success in the transfer market during his final two years at the club and was ultimately sacked in November 2019.

We’ve taken a look at his last 10 Tottenham signings to see how they’ve fared since. Note: we’ve not included Michel Vorm, who returned to the club for a brief spell after being released in 2019.

Davinson Sanchez

Sanchez caught the eye during Ajax’s run to the Europa League final in 2016-17 and then completed a £25million move to Tottenham.

He’s since made 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, but he’s prone to inconsistency, has made some calamitous errors and has fallen down the pecking order under Antonio Conte.

The Italian’s decision to turn to the Colombia international when they desperately needed a goal in the dying minutes of their Champions League elimination at home to AC Milan can be heard as a death knell for a managerial tenure that started out so promisingly but looks set to fizzle out underwhelmingly.

Paulo Gazzaniga

Having played under Pochettino at Southampton, Gazzaniga joined Tottenham in 2017 and largely served as a back-up to Hugo Lloris. 

But the Argentina international found himself further down the pecking order after Pochettino’s dismissal and joined Fulham on a free transfer in 2021.

Gazzaniga began their promotion-winning season as their No.1 goalkeeper and started their first 11 Championship games but since lost his place in the side to Marek Rodak. He’s currently out on loan at La Liga outfit Girona.

READ: Ranking Tottenham’s 16 Premier League ‘keepers from worst to best

Juan Foyth

Despite being heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, Foyth decided to join Tottenham and was hoping to learn from compatriot Pochettino.

The defender had a strange start to his Premier League career, conceding two penalties on his debut and then scoring on his next league appearance.

After struggling for regular first-team opportunities under Mourinho, he spent 2020-21 on loan at Villarreal and produced a brilliant display in their Europa League final win over Manchester United. The Spanish side then exercised their £13million option to sign him on a permanent basis and he’s continued to be a solid operator for the Yellow Submarine.

Serge Aurier

After selling Kyle Walker to Manchester City in 2017, Tottenham identified Aurier as his replacement and agreed to pay PSG £23million.

But it soon became clear that the right-back was a defensive liability, and he failed to establish himself ahead of Kieran Trippier.

Tottenham agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent in August 2021. Aurier has since linked up with Foyth at Villarreal but left the Estadio de la Ceramica after just one season.

Aurier is now back in the Premier League as one of Nottingham Forest’s 22(!) summer signings.

QUIZ: Can you name all 29 of Nottingham Forest’s signings in 2022-23?

Fernando Llorente

Llorente joined Tottenham from Swansea City and served as a backup to Harry Kane, scoring 13 goals in 66 appearances over the following two seasons.

Despite being an integral part of Spurs’ run to the Champions League final in 2018-19, he didn’t receive a new contract and was released by the club a few weeks later.

The striker then had spells in Italy with Napoli and Udinese before returning to his native Spain with Eibar in October 2021.

“I don’t know what will happen in the future. I want to continue, even if I’ve been out of action for three months,” he recently told Marca.

“I’m still training, looking for something that excites me. If not, we’ll look for something else that fulfils me.”

Unfortunately, no club took him up and he announced his retirement at the grand age of 38 last month.

Lucas Moura

After struggling for regular opportunities in a star-studded PSG side, Moura completed a £25million move to Tottenham in January 2018.

The Brazil international has blown hot and cold during his time at Tottenham and has well and truly fallen to the periphery of Conte’s squad following Dejan Kulusevski’s arrival. 

Moura will depart when his contract expires in the summer and will leave a mixed legacy at Tottenham. No one can take away that hat-trick against Ajax though.

Jack Clarke

After failing to sign a single first-team player in the summer of 2018, Daniel Levy dusted the cobwebs off the chequebook to sign Clarke from Leeds United in 2019.

But Pochettino reportedly didn’t want to sign the winger, who then returned to West Yorkshire on a season-long loan deal.

The 21-year-old made just four first-team appearances for Spurs and has since been sold for a fraction of what they bought him for. The winger is currently getting his career back on track at Sunderland after helping the Black Cats get promoted from League One last term.

Clarke has notched seven goals and six assists for Tony Mowbray’s side in the Championship this season. Finding a settled place in the second tier has done him good.

Tanguy Ndombele

Having starred for Lyon in 2018-19, expectations were high when Ndombele completed a club record £55million transfer to Tottenham.

But the France international failed to justify that price tag as fitness and attitude problems have plagued his time in north London.

“Tanguy, I have to be honest, Tanguy is the kind of guy that you always expect more from than what he gives me,” Jose Mourinho said in 2021. “Because he is so talented, that you always expect more, more. Because the talent is amazing.

“I think by the talent point of view, by the creation in midfield, by the vision, he is second to nobody in this moment in European football.

“But the feeling is that he always has more to give, he never reaches the limit of the effort, the sacrifice, even the ambition. So he is the guy I love him as a player, but he frustrates me a little bit because I think he can be much better than what he is.”

After being booed off the pitch in an FA Cup tie against Wycombe, he returned to Lyon on a short-term loan in the latter half of last season.

They opted against making the deal permanent in the summer, and now he’s set to become a Serie A champion while out on loan at Napoli. He’s shown flashes at Luciano Spalletti’s wonderfully entertaining side but hasn’t quite done enough to nail down a regular place in the starting XI.

Could one last chance at his parent club beckon this summer?

Giovani Lo Celso

Lo Celso initially joined Tottenham on loan from Real Betis in the summer of 2019 and Mourinho activated the option to buy in January 2020. 

While the midfielder has displayed glimpses of his talent, he’s also struggled with injuries and hasn’t been able to reach the standards that he set during his time in Spain.

After being deemed surplus to requirements by Antonio Conte, the Argentina international returned to La Liga and joined Villarreal on loan in January 2022, extending it in the summer.

Lo Celso shone in Argentina’s 2021 Copa America triumph but was sidelined as the Albiceleste lifted the World Cup in Qatar.

Ryan Sessegnon

A Fulham academy graduate, Sessegnon was regarded as one of English football’s top talents before completing his £25million move to Tottenham in 2019.

But he made just six Premier League appearances during an injury-plagued debut season and then spent 2020-21 on loan at Bundesliga side Hoffenheim. 

The 22-year-old is now back at Tottenham and has played more of a prominent role under Conte this season, albeit without having quite nailed down his place.

READ NEXT: The 4 players Spurs signed alongside Son Heung-min and how they fared

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Tottenham’s first competitive XI under Pochettino?

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