Andros Townsend opens up on relationship with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino

Andros Townsend has opened up on his relationship with former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino during the pair’s time at the club (h/t The Athletic).

The 28-year-old Townsend came through our academy, but managed just 93 first-team appearances despite having made his first-team debut way back in 2011. Having had multiple spells away on loan, the Englishman left our club permanently in January 2016, signing for Newcastle United.

42 of his 93 appearances for Tottenham came under Mauricio Pochettino. The winger, though, didn’t convince enough, especially in the initial stages. There had been reports of a falling out between the pair in 2015, after Townsend got into a heated argument with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner.

And soon after, Towsend was offloaded. Now, opening up on his relationship with Poch, the 28-year-old has insisted that there was a feeling of anger and resentment, but he was grateful for the time the Argentine spent trying to improve him (h/t The Athletic).

“I may have been bitter and angry at the time and resented him. It didn’t end well and people probably think we hate each other but I’ll always be grateful.”

The 28-year-old also added that he was too young to take in the manager’s messages properly at the time. And struggles with fitness, form and confidence didn’t help his cause either. He also claimed that going from a first-team regular to an afterthought under the Argentine was hard for him to accept (h/t The Athletic).

More Tottenham Hotspur News

• Blow for Tottenham as Chelsea look to extend Oliver Giroud stay
• Tottenham Hotspur keeping tabs on Ivan Rakitic
• Spurs Transfer Rumours: Defenders on the move and a surprise goalkeeper

Townsend also opened up on how Pochettino had him in his office every other week. The manager showed him clips of his performances and tried to make improvements to his game. And while he is grateful for that, the Englishman felt it was time for him to start afresh after the falling out in 2015 (h/t The Athletic).

“After time passes you realise I was in his office with him telling me how to improve. For the most part, we had a really good relationship. I needed a change, though — to move on, go down and take a step back up.”