Mauricio Pochettino breaks silence on Tottenham return to replace Postecoglou

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with a Tottenham return as they eye a new manager but the USA boss insists the timing is not right for him to head back to north London
Mauricio Pochettino says a return to Tottenham is "not realistic" amid talk of a move back to north London as the club seek a successor to Ange Postecoglou - who was sacked on Friday.
Europa League glory was not enough to save the former Celtic boss and the search has begun for a new manager. Thomas Frank is the leading candidate but Pochettino too has been linked with a move back to Tottenham, where he spent five years.
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Despite not winning a trophy the Argentine has been the most successful manager in the club's recent history, especially in terms of Premier League performance. He consistently had them in the top four and achieved a second place finish in 2017.
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He is now leading the USA with their home World Cup just over a year out and Pochettino insists any thought of a Tottenham return is not feasible right now.
The 53-year-old said: 'After I left in 2019, every time that I was free, and the place of the position of the manager or head coach in Tottenham Hotspur, my name is appearing on the list. If you have seen the rumours, I think there are 100 coaches in the list. I think, don't be worried about that.
'If something happened, for sure you will see, but we cannot talk about this type of thing, because I think today, it's not real. It's not realistic. Look at where I am, where we are. And the thing is, the answer is so clear, no? But we're talking about it because it's my club, like Newells or Espanyol.'
Tottenham have identified Frank as the man they want and the Dane appears equally as interesting in filling the vacancy. He's seen his stock rise throughout his time at Brentford and may feel the time is right to pursue a new challenge in the capital.
Pochettino meanwhile has just seen his American side beaten 2-1 by Turkey in Connecticut. It was the team's third successive defeat which leaves the Argentine with five wins and four losses from nine matches in charge. The United States will host the World Cup for the first time since 1994 next summer.
The Argentine, who was sacked by Tottenham just months after leading them to the Champions League final, has since held jobs at PSG and Chelsea.