It looks as though there may be significant fallout yet to come from Danny Rose’s recent interview with The Sun. Despite Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino’s assertions a few weeks ago that everyone has “moved on” after Rose criticized the club’s transfer policy and wage structure, Dan Kilpatrick of ESPN is reporting that the water is very much not under the bridge.
Kilpatrick writes that Rose and Pochettino’s relationship has deteriorated in the wake of the interview, and that Rose’s agent is set to have significant talks with club chairman Daniel Levy over his Tottenham Hotspur future.
Rose's agent, Mark Rankine, is due to meet to Daniel Levy for crunch talks on Wednesday but the Spurs chairman is expected to reiterate that Rose is not for sale, despite the left-back's desire to leave the club before the transfer deadline.
The sources said that Rose and Pochettino have not spoken privately since the defender's explosive interview with a national newspaper a fortnight ago, even after Rose issued a written apology.
— Dan Kilpatrick, ESPN
This is emphatically bad, though as fans we should probably not be particularly surprised. In fact, I was more surprised that Pochettino was apparently willing to let this go, considering his past history with players who have crossed him. While the Kyle Walker transfer saga was relatively tame (or at least that was the club’s spin on the situation), you only have to look back to how Pochettino handled Emmanuel Adebayor, Younes Kaboul, Etienne Capoue, and Benjamin Stambouli to get a sense of how he handles players who fall adrift of his good side. It’s especially ironic considering Rose was one of the first players to latch on to Pochettino’s tactics and methods, and how much Rose personally benefitted from Pochettino when he arrived.
With nine days to go before the close of the summer transfer window, it would surprise me if Rose is sold, despite interest from Jose Mourinho and Manchester United. Spurs still don’t really have a plan for right back, and they’ve known that was coming for months. Coming up with a plan for a left back that fits Pochettino’s tactics would be extremely difficult this late in the window, though not impossible -- there were reports that Spurs had a bid rejected for Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon last week.
But even if Rose doesn’t leave the club, it’s unclear whether Pochettino will work him back into the first team rotation when he’s healthy, or whether Rose is willing to play at all. Rose is certainly a better fit for Pochettino’s tactics than Ben Davies, but Poch is a stickler for discipline and loyalty, and Rose’s interview is considered a betrayal of both. Not playing would not only hurt Tottenham, but would also be detrimental to Rose’s prospects with England before a World Cup year.
You can argue about which side of the divide you fall on — Danny, for pointing out what appears to be serious discontent within the squad regarding wages, or the club for meting out discipline for a player that clearly crossed the line of club conduct. What’s not really in doubt is losing Danny Rose in any form, either by transfer or by benching, is damaging to the club and hurts their chances of meeting their league and Champions League aspirations this season.
We should keep in mind that this is still firmly in the realm of rumor for now. However, Kilpatrick is a good reporter with good sources, and even if the details may vary it’s pretty clear that there’s SOMETHING going on within the club. The off-season turmoil within Tottenham doesn’t look like it’s going to be letting up anytime soon.