With Zinedine Zidane’s position as Real Madrid manager coming under additional scrutiny with each passing failure — Los Blancos currently sit 19 points(!!!) behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and were bounced from the Copa del Rey quarterfinals round by Leganes on Wednesday — Mauricio Pochettino‘s next contract gets richer and richer.
[ MORE: Friday’s transfer rumor roundup | Thursday | Tuesday ]
After all, it’s Pochettino who’s been frequently linked with a move to Madrid should Zidane be relieved of his duties between present day and August. It’s a win-win scenario for the Tottenham Hotspur boss, whose current contract runs until the summer of 2021, as he’ll either move to the Spanish capital for a massive raise or sign a new contract — for, you guessed it, a massive raise — to remain in north London.
Asked about the rumors this week, Pochettino was quick to reiterate his “massive commitment” to his current employers, while also stopping well short of ruling out a move to Madrid at a yet-to-be-determined point in his career — quotes from the BBC:
“My commitment is massive [to Tottenham]. I am working like I am going to be here forever. But in the end you never know what is going to happen in football.”
…
“Tomorrow, chairman Daniel Levy could have a bad night and say, ‘Oh, I am going to sack Mauricio,’ then I look stupid saying I am not going to work in one place or another or another.”
Pochettino did, however, take a much harder-line stance on three other clubs in particular. As a supporter of either Spurs, Espanyol or Newell’s Old Boys, it must be impossible to not love Pochettino for his passion, fierce loyalty and intensity:
“I am so clear: I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol. I grew up in Newell’s Old Boys and will never manage Rosario Central.
“That is my decision because I prefer to work on my farm in Argentina than in some places.”
Various reports from a handful of outlets across Europe have stated that Levy is willing to offer Pochettino a new contract in order to ensure he’s the club’s manager for the opening of the new stadium next fall. A couple hundred million dollars to reinforce and retain a solid, young squad over the course of the next four transfer windows probably wouldn’t hurt, either.
