Soldado nearing exit, Pochettino confirms

Roberto Soldado is nearing his departure from Tottenham and a return to Spain, according to the club’s head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

On Thursday, photos emerged on Twitter of Soldado at Gatwick Airport, reportedly telling fans he was flying out to agree terms with Villarreal.

Soldado’s team-mate Erik Lamela then took to Twitter to say farewell, before swiftly deleting the posts.

And in a press conference on Thursday, Pochettino said no deal had yet been finalised, but confirmed the striker had been allowed to go and further his negotiations.

“He has been given permission to travel to Spain and the club will announce whether anything will happen or not,” Pochettino said.

Since arriving from Valencia, Soldado has struggled at White Hart Lane, scoring just seven Premier League goals in 52 appearances – four of which came from the penalty spot.