Mauricio Pochettino: After Gylfi Sigurdsson joined Swansea we saw he was perfect
Mauricio Pochettino admits Tottenham were too quick to sell Gylfi Sigurdsson as the Swansea midfielder would be "perfect" for his current team.
Sigurdsson will be hoping to deliver Pochettino a timely reminder of his creative talents when the Swans face Spurs on Saturday at White Hart Lane.
He was one of the first players to depart after the Argentinian took charge in the summer of 2014, rejoining Swansea in a deal that saw Ben Davies and Michel Vorm move in the other direction.
The 27-year-old had struggled for a regular starting place during two stop-start seasons in north London but he quickly rediscovered his rhythm at Swansea, with seven goals and 10 assists in 2014-15 and then 11 goals and four assists last term.
Sigurdsson has four goals and four assists already in the current campaign - the kind of attacking output Tottenham have been so lacking in recent weeks.
"I think after he moved to Swansea and we saw his development at Swansea he was a perfect player for us," Pochettino said.
"But in that moment it was the club decision and his decision to move to Swansea and find another way.
"Every time we meet him and see him he shows his quality not only as a player but like a man. All the people here talk very highly about him.
"It's a shame but sometimes in football you never know what will happen in the future."
Pochettino will make a late decision on Toby Alderweireld's fitness ahead of Saturday's game.
Alderweireld trained this week but has still not fully recovered from the knee injury that has kept the Belgian out for seven weeks.
Danny Rose is available again after serving a one-match suspension but Erik Lamela (hip) and Davies (ankle) are both out.
Meanwhile Jan Vertonghen has signed a new contract at Tottenham that will run until 2019.
Swansea manager Bob Bradley has challenged his defenders to find the focus to keep Tottenham striker Harry Kane quiet at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Kane has had his season disrupted by a seven-week lay-off with an ankle problem, but the England star has been boosted ahead of Swansea's Premier League visit by signing a new Spurs deal which will run until 2022.
That could spell bad news for a Swansea side who have been vulnerable at the back all season and whose defensive frailties were again exposed in the astonishing 5-4 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend.
"Harry Kane is a terrific finisher and you need real concentration right through the match against him," Bradley said.
"You give him a chance and he has a solid record of hitting the target and scoring different kinds of goals.
"He is a striker where everybody must concentrate for every moment because the slightest lapse is when he pounces. So it is mainly a test of awareness and concentration."
Swansea striker Fernando Llorente hopes to be rewarded for his match-winning display against Crystal Palace with a starting spot at Tottenham.
The Spaniard netted a stoppage-time double in the amazing 5-4 victory over Palace - Bob Bradley's first win as Swansea manager - after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Skipper Leon Britton could rejoin the matchday squad after missing the last two games with a calf problem, but South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng remains out with the broken toe which kept him out of the Palace game.
Source: PAR
