Mauricio Pochettino could have joined Real Madrid or Chelsea

He could easily have said yes to Real Madrid or Chelsea at the end of last season.

He could easily have argued that he’d taken Tottenham as far as he could, after keeping them in the Champions League for the third consecutive campaign on a restricted budget.

He could yet be tapped up by the likes of Manchester United or Real, if the Reds decide ­eventually that they are underachieving or Julen Lopetegui fails to pull up trees in Madrid.

But Mauricio Pochettino ­remains insistent he is in it at Spurs for the long haul.

The current events at the club are as big a test for his ­commitment as you can get in a game where talk is cheap.

No new summer signings, ­disgruntled fringe players and stadium chaos, at a time when Spurs should be taking their first steps into a brave new world at a new £800million arena.

Yet Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will be grateful for the ­optimism and leadership that Pochettino continues to exude with the chips very much down. “I am very grateful to the club, to the fans and to Daniel,” said ­Pochettino, who signed a new five-year deal in May.

“When you are in a difficult situation, this is the moment when you need to show that you are there.

“It is easy when everything is good to be there but, when the winter is coming, it’s easy to run away.

“I want to be there in the frontline ­fighting and trying to compete with all the ­circumstances that, today, are in the club.

“I feel the responsibility to be here and that is why I am here.

“I am happy and think ­Tottenham gave us a lot of things that we will always be grateful for. So it was a moment to say, ‘We are going to be with you all, fighting in these circumstances’ – we knew what was going to happen.”

Tottenham became the first club not to make a summer ­signing since the transfer window was introduced in 2003.

Every other club in the top six has strengthened their squads with Liverpool in particular joining Manchester City in boasting frightening depth.

Spurs are still willing to listen to offers for the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Mousa Dembele, Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and ­Fernando Llorente.

Coming through the ranks, however, are rising stars ­Cameron Carter-Vickers, Luke Amos, Oliver Skipp and Kyle Walker-Peters.

Pochettino is excited enough by their potential – and that of the club – to continue trying to upset the big guns against the odds.

He added: “I feel the ­responsibility to be here. That’s why I am here, but also because I am happy.

“Tottenham gave us a lot of things – my family, assistant Jesus Perez, everyone – when we ­arrived here four years ago.

“We will always be grateful. It was a moment to say that I will be with you all, fighting.”