MX23RW : Sunday, November 17 10:48:27| >> :120:26540:26540:

Mauricio Pochettino: 'Kyle Naughton needed to play'

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino admits that he was happy for Kyle Naughton to leave for Swansea as the right-back needed to play more regular first-team football.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino was happy to sanction Kyle Naughton's move to Swansea City in order to improve the defender's chances of regular football.

The 26-year-old signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Welsh outfit on Thursday after a £5m fee was agreed between the two Premier League clubs, and has targeted a first-team spot.

Naughton made only 74 appearances in nearly six years at Spurs as he struggled to usurp fellow Sheffield United alumnus Kyle Walker at right-back, and Pochettino has admitted that the time was right for him to move on.

"He always tried to play more than he did and his decision was to find a club to have more opportunity to play," he told Sky Sports News. "I agreed with his decision and, after the club reached a deal with Swansea, he left.

"I was happy with Kyle's performance but he wanted another situation to play more than he did and his decision was to find a solution and Swansea gave him the opportunity to play more regularly than he would have at Spurs."

Naughton, who spent loan spells at Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Norwich City during his time at White Hart Lane, joined Tottenham along with Walker in an £8m double transfer from the Blades in 2009.

ID:200850: cacheID:200850:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2428:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mauricio Pochettino the Spurs manager directs his players during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at Boleyn Ground on August 16, 2014
Read Next:
Pochettino wants transfer changes
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Packers
@
Bears
6pm
Raiders
@
Dolphins
6pm
Colts
@
Jets
6pm
Jags
@
Lions
6pm
Rams
@
Patriots
6pm
Browns
@
Saints
6pm
Ravens
@
Steelers
6pm
Vikings
@
Titans
9.05pm
Seahawks
@
49ers
9.05pm
Falcons
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Chiefs
@
Bills
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland1594225111431
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1510321971231
3Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
4Burnley157621861227
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom15672169725
6Watford158162322125
7Middlesbrough157352317624
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City155732019122
11Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
12Derby CountyDerby155461919019
13Stoke CityStoke155461819-119
14Norwich CityNorwich154652322118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds155371725-818
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd154561718-117
17Coventry CityCoventry154472021-116
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth154471526-1116
19Hull City153661620-415
20Preston North EndPreston153661523-815
21Luton TownLuton154381726-915
22Cardiff CityCardiff154381423-915
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR151771225-1310


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!