Mauricio Pochettino has questioned whether Tottenham Hotspur are ready to challenge for silverware.
The Argentine has turned Spurs into a Premier League force since his arrival at White Hart Lane in 2014, pushing Leicester City all the way for the title last season.
However, the North London club are still awaiting their first trophy under Pochettino, whose last realistic chance of silverware this season is the FA Cup.
Spurs are pushing for an unprecedented second consecutive season in the Champions League, but Pochettino believes that he and his players should be aiming higher.
"I think that we have pushed the expectation higher but that is normal because last season we were there - second, third in the league and that is good," he told Sky Sports News.
"But my question is maybe we are not ready. It's like the stadium, if we want to move today we are not ready to play there. We need to wait, build the foundations. It's a problem always - to be patient, to arrive.
"But the important thing is the club. Our chairman has built the foundation. New facilities on the training ground, new stadium to provide and to be a better team, better club, bigger club.
"We're on the way to build one of the best clubs in Europe. But now we must be patient. We have patience to build and try to work hard and try to find the players that we can add to achieve that. Work hard and be clever - that is very important."
Spurs host Stoke City in the Premier League on Sunday as they bid to leapfrog Manchester City into second place behind runaway leaders Chelsea.
Giuseppe Labellarte
