Pochettino questions readiness in Tottenham's trophy quest

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has cast doubt over the club's title hopes, questioning whether they are ready to win trophies.

Expectations are high at White Hart Lane after Tottenham finished third last season but Spurs' quest for silverware in 2016-17 is fading.

Tottenham are 13 points adrift of Premier League leaders and London rivals Chelsea, while they were dumped out of the Europa League by Gent.

And Pochettino has reiterated the need for patience, though he insists Tottenham are on track to become one of the best clubs in Europe.

"I think that we have pushed the expectation higher but that is normal because last season we were there - second, third in the league and that is good," Pochettino said ahead of Saturday's clash against Stoke City.

"But my question is maybe we are not ready. It's like the stadium, if we want to move today we are not ready to play there.

"We need to wait, build the foundations. It's a problem always - to be patient, to arrive.

"But the important thing is the club. Our chairman has built the foundation. New facilities on the training ground, new stadium to provide and to be a better team, better club, bigger club.

"We're on the way to build one of the best clubs in Europe. But now we must be patient.

"We have patience to build and try to work hard and try to find the players that we can add to achieve that. Work hard and be clever; that is very important."