Pochettino has no regrets on Trippier move to Atletico Madrid

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino insists he has no regrets over the manner of Kieran Trippier’s departure to Atletico Madrid this summer.

Trippier has replaced Juanfran on the right-hand side of the defence at Los Rojiblancos and his encouraging start could well be a sign of things to come, with a great deal of excitement around his start to life in La Liga.

The England international completed his move from Tottenham back in July in a €25m deal, with doubts regarding the manner of the deal.

“I spoke to the manager about his plans and I didn’t get a yes and I didn’t get a no,” Trippier had said. “So you get the impression. It’s disappointing. I gave everything for the club and I wanted to stay. I tried to speak to the chairman. I just didn’t really get an answer.”

However, Pochettino has now replied, as cited by Marca: “The only conversation when he [Trippier] arrived after the summer was when he came to see me, he asked me for a meeting, and said: ‘Gaffer, I think I have a good possibility and for different reasons I would like to accept the offer from Atlético Madrid.

“He didn’t ask me nothing. He only communicated whether the club were going to accept the offer. Nothing more. It wasn’t a conversation – Do you want me? Or don’t you want me?

“I’ve got no problem with Kieran. In football, decisions happen and players move from one club to another. We need to move on. The reality is one reality but who is right in all this process? I keep very good memories of him.

“We signed him from Burnley for £4m when they were relegated [from the Premier League in 2015] and he was worried about whether he would play or not. I said: ‘Don’t worry, we are going to provide you with the best platform to perform.’ And one and a half years later, he was in the starting XI, he reached the national team, played the World Cup and now he’s with Atlético Madrid – when he was in the second division when we signed him.

“He played the final of the Champions League [in June] when I had plenty of different options – Serge Aurier, Davinson Sánchez, Kyle Walker-Peters. But he played the final. My actions talk more than my mouth.”

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