Adebayor Is Still Part Of My Plan, Says Pochettino

TOTTENHAM head coach Mauricio Pochettino insists he still has a “good relationship” with Emmanuel Adebayor, despite the striker not featuring in any of Spurs’ last five matches.

  Adebayor is unlikely even to make the bench for Sunday’s Barclays Premier League game against West Ham, to whom the striker almost secured a January loan move before chairman Daniel Levy blocked the switch.

  The 30-year-old seems surplus to requirements under Pochettino given he has not played since coming off the bench in Tottenham’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Leicester almost a month ago.

  Pochettino said: “My relationship with Ade? It’s a good relationship, the only problem is I need to pick 18 players for every game.

  “Now I am picking (Harry) Kane or (Roberto) Soldado but the relationship is good.”

  Adebayor’s absence has been overshadowed by the irrepressible form of Kane, who is expected to return to the Spurs starting line-up on Sunday after he was rested for Thursday night’s 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.

  Tottenham face a demanding schedule in the coming weeks, with six games in 17 days including next week’s return leg in Florence and the Capital One Cup final against Chelsea.

  “It’s a critical period as we have a lot of finals,” Pochettino said.

  “Sunday is a final, Thursday is a final, next Sunday is the Cup final.