US national team boss Mauricio Pochettino seems to have made the clearest hint so far that he is ready for a return to English football after the World Cup, at a time when Tottenham Hotspur are in the process of replacing interim manager Igor Tudor.
The Argentine led Spurs between 2014 and 2019, taking the club from north London to the Champions League final in his last full season, while also securing their highest ever finish in the Premier League during the 2016/2017 season.
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Pochettino was eventually sacked after a poor start to the 2019/20 season, and after stints at PSG and Chelsea, he is now preparing to lead the United States in a home World Cup.
However, the fifty-year-old, who has long been mentioned as being in the running for a return to Tottenham, has once again hinted that he has unresolved issues at the club, while reiterating his love for English football in general.
In an interview with French publication L’Equipe, his first interview in France since leaving the capital in 2022, Pochettino said, “I love the country [England], their culture, the football culture.”
“For anyone with a competitive spirit who wants to measure up to others and test their own abilities, it’s the ideal place – you have to constantly give your best.”
Pochettino was also asked if Spurs had contacted him about a return after his first six months in Paris, which he revealed: “Not just Tottenham. Other very big clubs as well. When that six-month season was over, it was a bit … Well, with that whole covid situation, the club’s situation created instability. In all areas.”
“It was a period of change, uncomfortable situations, situations that … It did not give the impression that it was possible to work in a stable environment, as we have today.”
“I enjoyed my experience at PSG. But I had other options, which I shared with the club, but they chose not to listen to any of them.”
When it comes to a return to a Spurs side that is trying to avoid relegation to the English second division for the first time in almost 50 years, the problem is that Pochettino can do so after the World Cup finishes in July at the earliest.
That doesn’t help the club right now, as they prepare to part ways with Tudor after his disastrous tenure as manager, which includes just one win in eight games in all competitions and five Premier League defeats in six games.
Our sources have revealed that behind the scenes, Spurs have been working extensively on potential replacements, and we understand that a preferred direction has already been identified, with sources confirming some exciting options for this season.
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