A report from the Sun newspaper in the UK claims that the representatives of Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino have been approached by Manchester United.
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Pochetino, 43, has led Tottenham to second place in the Premier League in just his second season in charge at White Hart Lane and the Argentine coach is seen as one of the brightest young minds in the game. He will likely battle with his good friend Jose Mourinho to take charge of United.
With Louis Van Gaal‘s future at Old Trafford beyond this season still uncertain — he snapped at a journalist when being pushed about his potential exit after the 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday — it seems as though the Red Devils are feeling out the possibility of replacing the veteran Dutch coach at the end of this season.
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Pochettino arrived in England in January 2013 and took Southampton from a newly-promoted club who were battling relegation to a top-eight team who produced several superb youngsters during his time at St Mary’s. Pochettino has replicated, and perhaps bettered, that success at Spurs with the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Dele Alli flourishing under his stewardship and Spurs have a real chance of winning the PL title this campaign as they currently sit five points behind leaders Leicester with 13 games to go.
Having been around Pochettino for a few years now both during his time at Saints and Spurs, he seems like an ambitious and driven character. If they chance to manage United came around, you get the sense it’s something he’d seriously consider. Who wouldn’t want to be THE man who turned around the fortunes of one of the world’s biggest teams and be lauded for returning them to glory?
That said, why would Poch leave Spurs?
He’s nurtured a hugely talented group of young players, the fans love him, he has a long-term contract until 2019 and there’s a bright future for the north London club as a new 60,000 stadium will be built on the White Hart Lane site in the next few years. Although that new stadium would provide Spurs with plenty of extra revenue in the future, Pochettino has urged caution for the upcoming years as he recently claimed a “tough period” would be ahead financially as the new stadium is financed. Talking about finances, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy wouldn’t let Pochettino leave without a fight and according to the report he’d likely demand $30 million in compensation for his manager. United may see that as a price worth paying.
Van Gaal, 64, still has a contract through the end of the 2016-17 season but with United currently six points off the top four, it seems increasingly unlikely he will remain in charge after this summer. Ryan Giggs — LVG’s assistant and a legend at United — is too inexperienced in the eyes of many to take charge, while Mourinho continues to be linked with United. After going with David Moyes and Van Gaal since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and neither of the experienced coaches able to return United to the top, maybe hiring a young, hungry manager is the way to go for the Red Devils?
Poch fits the bill.
