Tottenham target Sven Bender will not be allowed to leave Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke says Thomas Tuchel has been a managerial target for the club since 2009.

The report states that Mauricio Pochettino was interested in bringing the 26-year-old to White Hart Lane this summer, but Tuchel has moved to quash any rumours by saying that Bender will be a key part of his squad in the future.

“It’s hard to compare Sven Bender with Julian Weigl because they play differently”, he said.

“Sven Bender is a leader”. “He is a constant in the squad”. So we are very happy with him and we are planning with him.’.

Adrian Ramos and Oliver Kirch were on the scoresheet for Dortmund in their friendly win over Betis in Wuppertal.

However, a seventh-place finish this year saw Klopp resign at the end of the Bundesliga campaign, and Watzke has backed Tuchel to enjoy similar success at the club, revealing they have been keeping tabs on the 41-year-old since 2009 when he guided Mainz’s youth team to a cup win over Di Borussen.

“It wasn’t good enough from our side”. The result is OK and we won. “The players were able to gain more game time, especially those who didn’t get enough practice”, he added.

Tuchel’s men lead the Europa League third-round qualifier 1-0 having played the away leg against Austrian opposition last week. “When I see how meticulously Tuchel prepares his training and how much effort he puts into his work, it compels my respect”.