We can’t be the only ones thinking Tottenham are about to majorly regret letting a world class manager go and have his pick of Europe’s top clubs.
And yet that’s exactly what’s happened as it was last night confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino would be leaving Spurs after over five years in charge in which he pretty near transformed the club and did everything but win that elusive piece of silverware.
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It can’t be too long before the rumours start flying in about Pochettino’s next move, and we can already think of five big clubs who’d do well to make a move for him either now, or in the very near future.
The Argentine could surely be a fantastic appointment for any of the following…
Manchester United
Perhaps the most obvious choice due to the amount of speculation there’s been about this potential move for so long – could Man Utd now be preparing to hand Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his P45 and swoop for the Poch?
Well, not exactly, according to the Evening Standard, who insist United retain faith in their current man at the helm, though the report also explains how much of a long-term target the former Spurs boss has been and how his availability is likely to see the pressure mount on Solskjaer to improve after this tough start to the season.
Given how well Pochettino did with limited resources at Tottenham, he’d surely get his hands on some trophies at last with more money to work with at Old Trafford.
This doesn’t seem likely to be imminent, but we’re surely going to be hearing these names paired together in headlines a lot in the next few weeks if Solskjaer’s United see their form take a hit once again.
Arsenal
Any Arsenal fan who says they wouldn’t take Pochettino due to his Spurs connections is either lying or totally deluded.
The one thing that has been keeping the dire Unai Emery in a job for so long has been the lack of real alternatives kicking about, but that’s no longer the case now that Pochettino has been unleashed.
The 47-year-old doesn’t exactly have an Arsene Wenger-like reputation for getting his teams to play stylish, attack-minded football, but his teams look like Pele’s Brazil next to the stuff being served up by Emery’s Gunners.
Plus he’s got this Champions League qualification game sussed, which as we all know is the equivalent of a trophy at the Emirates Stadium.
This would be a clear upgrade for a struggling Arsenal side and if they don’t swoop as soon as possible, Man Utd will surely get there first. What are you waiting for, Raul?
Real Madrid
It’s not been the easiest return for Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, with the Frenchman looking a considerably less convincing manager without the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo.
One can only wonder what Pochettino would do with a squad full of players like Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale, so expect these rumours to hot up in the near future if Zidane continues to struggle.
Madrid would be a very different environment with very different expectations from Tottenham, but Pochettino is surely good enough to test himself at this level now.
Bayern Munich
Pochettino has been linked with the Bayern job by The Athletic, though the report does suggest they have some reservations about hiring the South American.
This is, apparently, largely down to the issue of his large Spanish-speaking backroom team, which seems a bit nit-picky, if we’re being honest.
Bayern haven’t really made any particularly convincing managerial appointments since Pep Guardiola, and this would be a step in the right direction after the struggles of Carlo Ancelotti and Niko Kovac.
Manchester City
Also mentioned in that Athletic piece is the future of Pep Guardiola, with the report explaining that there is some feeling that this could be his last season at City and that a return to Bayern can’t be ruled out.
If the Bavarian giants end up bringing Pep back and ignoring Pochettino, that then leaves City free to hire the Argentine themselves in what could be a superb move.
That’s a lot of ifs involved there, but a future move to the Etihad Stadium surely cannot be ruled out as both parties would likely see it as a perfect match.
