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Mousa Dembele relishing playing in best Tottenham team

Mousa Dembelen
Image: Watch Tottenham v West Ham live on Super Sunday, 3:30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD

Mousa Dembele believes the current Tottenham team is the best he has played in and has challenged the club to qualify for the Champions League this season.

The 28-year-old, who moved to White Hart Lane from Fulham in 2012, has played with some exceptional players at the club, including Gareth Bale.

Spurs are currently fifth in the Premier League ahead of the Super Sunday clash with West Ham, live on Sky Sports 1HD, and Mauricio Pochettino's side have not lost since the opening day of the season,

And speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Belgian Demble said: "This is the best team I've played in since I've been at Tottenham.

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"Pochettino is very much aware of the way we play, the way we press and our mentality. He is trying to change the culture of the club and that was needed.

"Every year you have to have the feeling to achieve the Champions League otherwise we should stop playing football. We know we have a lot of quality and we're closer than previous years.

"Of course we've had a taste that we can reach the Champions League but we have to be focused game by game to achieve that.

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Gareth Bale (L) of Real Madrid is challenged by Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur during the Audi Cup 2015 match between Real Madrid and Tottenham
Image: Mousa Dembele claims current Spurs side is better than those featuring Gareth Bale

"We are not thinking too much ahead. We have a good feeling at the moment so we are capable of doing anything, we just need to stay strong and focused all the time instead of thinking about where we can end up."

Chief to Spurs' promising start to the season has been the emergence of young talent, with Dele Alli and Eric Dier rising to prominence alongside established striker Harry Kane.

And, with Alli and Dier receiving their first England caps in recent months, Dembele was optimistic for both players' futures, players he believes will continue to flourish at Spurs.

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Jamie Redknapp joins Ed Chamberlin to preview the Super Sunday clash between Tottenham and West Ham United

"We are very strong as a team and there is a good atmosphere in the group," he added. "We're playing very much as a team, something we haven't done much in the past.

"It is not one or two players playing well, the team is playing well and that allows for someone if they have an off day - it's a good thing.

"Dele is a very good, young player with a good mentality, but everyone is playing well as well. That helped me when I came back from injury because I came back into a team that was playing well.

Dele Alli and Eric Dier replace Adam Lallana and Fabian Delph as substitutes during friendly between Spain and England at Jose Rico Perez Stadium, Alicante
Image: Dele Alli and Eric Dier are embarking on first steps in England career

"Dele is one of the main guys though, he is playing with confidence on the pitch and it's amazing. He will continue to make more steps and become more important.

"The same applies for Dier. This year the manager has put him in a different position and he's doing very well. He has a key role in our style of play; he is very disciplined and he is playing well."

Catch the exclusive interview with Mousa Dembele on Super Sunday followed by live coverage of Tottenham v West Ham, 3:30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD.

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