Moussa Sissoko opens up on Mauricio Pochettino talks that sealed his Tottenham stay

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko says he has a "simple" relationship with Mauricio Pochettino that helped convince him to remain at the club this summer.

Sissoko endured a disastrous first-season in north London following a deadline day move from Newcastle United, failing to score a single goal for the club and becoming a figure of ridicule among Spurs supporters.

The France international was widely expected to leave the north London club this summer but instead has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2017-18 season, offering Pochettino options in midfield and on the right while also netting his maiden goal for the club in the 4-0 win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday [30 September].

In an interview with Foot Mercato, Sissoko recalled it was a conversation on the club's pre-season tour of Hong Kong that convinced him to stay for another season after Pochettino had made "everything clear to him."

"My relationship with him [Pochettino] is a simple relationship between coach and player," Sissoko said. "He talks to me to express things, to explain how to play. At times, there are discussions outside of football. We have a fairly simple exchange, as with most players.

"The small discussion took last at the end of last season, during a tour in Hong Kong. I wanted to know more about my future and how this new season would unfold. We had an exchange. Everything was clear for him as for me. From then on, we decided to stay at Tottenham."

Sissoko admitted he had major doubts over his future at Spurs during the summer but a determination to prove his doubters wrong helped him make up his mind.

"I doubted at one point. Everyone knows I had a tough season last year. I did not want to relive the same season. This season, we thought it was going to be different, we had to work even more. I had the chance this year to have a pre-season which was not the case with the previous one. I arrived on the last day of the market.

"As a competitor when we go to another club, we want to succeed. We want to play a lot of matches. This has not been the case for me because I am still here today. I am glad I made the choice to stay at Tottenham."