Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has described links with Real Madrid as “positive” and sees himself returning to coach in Spain one day.
The 47-year-old Argentine tactician is currently enjoying a fifth season in charge of Spurs, but his name has consistently being associated with the Real job ever since Zinedine Zidane stepped down last summer.
Could Pochettino leave Spurs? Five things you need to know…
- Mauricio Pochettino took charge of Tottenham in 2014, replacing Tim Sherwood.
- The Argentinian has since overseen positive change for Spurs, who have become strong top-four contenders.
- This has led to Pochettino being linked with a move away from the club, most notably to either Real Madrid or Manchester United.
- And Pochettino has admitted he would be keen on a return to Spain one day, with Real Madrid’s interest a “positive”.
- Pochettino has not finished below fifth in the Premier League since taking charge of Tottenham.
A horrible week for Real, which saw them dumped out of two cup competitions as well as losing further ground in La Liga, has consequently led to mounting pressure on manager Santiago Solari who many feel is close to the exit door.
It has also seen increased speculation to who could succeed him, this season or in the summer, with Pochettino’s name uttered in the same sentence as former Los Blancos coaches Jose Mourinho and Zidane.
However, Pochettino has revealed that while he is not ready to leave north London, he does see himself one day returning to Spain – where his managerial career began at Espanyol – and welcomed such links feeling it validates the work he’s currently doing.
Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel: sqwk.at/Squawka-Sub
“I have a relationship with Spain. I want to go back there one day and win football games,” he told TVE.
“I would like to go back for sure, to play winning football which people want to watch and you must always remain keen to try new experiences and manage new projects.
“My links to Madrid? I see it as a positive, because people think I am doing my job well.”
Spurs progressing under Pochettino
Since being appointed ahead of the 2014/15 season Spurs have grown under Pochettino, going from a club looking from the outside to becoming an established top-four side as well as occasionally contending for the Premier League title. Under him they’ve finished fifth (2014/15), third (2015/16), second (2016/17) and third (2017/18).
However, recent results have seen Tottenham at risk of dropping out of the top four, when they had previously looked certain to finish third.
A 2-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday sees Spurs remain just three points clear of Manchester United who face Arsenal on Sunday – with the Gunners just four points behind their north London rivals. Chelsea are also six points behind Spurs but boast two games in hand.
Yet to win any piece of silverware under Pochettino, having lost the 2015 League Cup final to Chelsea, Tottenham are out of this season’s FA Cup but have a Champions League quarter-final fixture to look forward to. If they manage to reach the semi-finals it will mark the club’s best performance in Europe’s premier club competition.
The post Mauricio Pochettino admits plans to return to Spain amid “positive” Real Madrid links appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka News https://ift.tt/2TKDS0J
No comments:
Post a Comment