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Why Tottenham needs to win this year's FA Cup

Nick Potts - PA Images / PA Images / Getty

"It would mean nothing for me to win the League Cup or the FA Cup, even though they are important."

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino's comments in August weren't meant to belittle or attenuate England's two domestic cups; rather, embolden the ambitions of a club that hasn't won the league since 1961.

Spurs had just earned runner-up status in the league after finishing third in a two-horse race behind rival Arsenal the year before, and with a budding core of emerging talents, Pochettino was at the helm of Tottenham's most positive stretch in decades.

"I don't say that it's not important to win the League Cup or the FA Cup or the Europa League," the Argentine gaffer added. "But for me, we need to put Tottenham every season with the possibility to win the Premier League and to win the Champions League, the two most important trophies."

A manager whose own rise matches that of his squad, Pochettino should be commended for remarks more reflective of a club the size of Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal than one that has long languished in the shadows of England's biggest outfits. There's plenty to like about Tottenham, especially after a stellar Champions League run that included a victory over Real Madrid and was only ended at the hands of last season's finalist Juventus. However, a defining period looms large on the horizon.

Seven months after Pochettino's comments about England's domestic tournaments, Tottenham has no choice but to focus on winning a first FA Cup in 27 years. Continental dreams will have to wait for next year, and League Cup winner Manchester City is 20 points clear in the table. Spurs are one step closer to ending the trophy wait after besting Swansea City Saturday at the Liberty Stadium to progress to the FA Cup semi-final stage.

Now would be the ideal time for such a triumph. Like when hated foe Arsenal moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, Spurs are facing a critical transition.

The new White Hart Lane is set to open for next season, and it's expected matchday revenues could rise to £28 million. For the time being, though, the palatial stadium set to also host the NFL's British immersion has reportedly seen its costs rise from £400 million to £1 billion. That measure, and the fact Deloitte's Football Money League ranking pegged Spurs at 11th in Europe on £305.6 million - more than £100 million less than Arsenal, for comparison - has forced chairman Daniel Levy to exercise prudence.

Nowhere is that financial caution more apparent than the club's reported wage bill. Potential performance-related bonuses aside, Tottenham's salaries pale in comparison to the rest of the Premier League's "Big Six." Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris, and Jan Vertonghen are Spurs' highest-earning players, with the trio each making somewhere between £100,000 and £140,000 every week. Is Kane worth just half of what Romelu Lukaku reportedly makes? That question has but the one valid response. What about Christian Eriksen? One of the top flight's most consistent and creative playmakers, the Dane is allegedly on £75,000 per week. Juan Mata makes twice that.

Comparing the financial muscle of clubs like Manchester United and Tottenham is like apples and oranges, but for Spurs to have ambitions that match those of England's biggest sides, the wage structure has to improve. There's a reason Toby Alderweireld hasn't agreed to new terms with Pochettino's lot: He's one of the league's best central defenders, and knows it. Hard to blame him for wanting a pay packet aligned to his status.

The other element that keeps players at a club besides competitive finances is trophies, and, despite Pochettino's insistence that Tottenham has its eyes set on more illustrious silverware, things must change in that regard.

When asked in February whether he had to win a competition this season, Pochettino was candid, saying: "But I'm not obsessing: win, win, win, win! Of course, we want to win but to arrive to win we need to create a winning mentality around the players, around the team.

"For that, you need time. You never know if it's one year, two years, five years. I only know we're in a good way, waiting for the stadium. It'll be amazing for us, for the fans, for the club, for everything. That will give us the facilities to work. Tottenham in the next few years will be one of the contenders to win trophies."

Not if you don't have the players, Mauricio, and a trophy may go a long way to keeping them.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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