Daniel Levy has suggested that Mauricio Pochettino could return to manage Tottenham Hotspur in the future.
The Argentine was sacked as head coach of the North London outfit after five and a half years in charge with his dismissal coming just months after he had guided the club to their first ever appearance in a Champions League final.
Less than 12 hours later, he was replaced by Jose Mourinho who has taken the club from fourteenth in the Premier League table to potentially fourth should they beat his former employer Chelsea on Sunday.
Levy admitted that his decision to part company with the 47-year-old was the hardest managerial change he has had to make due to the close personal relationship he had forged with the former Southampton boss.
The Spurs supremo admitted that he is still in contact with Pochettino and they maintain a healthy relationship yet admitted that it was time for a change whilst refusing to be drawn on why he decided to axe him.
Levy told the Evening Standard when asked about the difficulty of parting company with Pochettino: “Yes, because you have to understand I had built up a personal relationship with Mauricio over five-and-a-half years.
“It is not something I ever wanted. Personally, it was incredibly difficult, I told him that and he understood. He’s been in football, he understands.
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“It’s not personal and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger and get an opportunity to manage another great club.”
Levy added when asked if Pochettino could return in the future: “Why not? I don’t close the door on anything.”
He said: “I’m not going to sit here and analyse the past. It’s not productive. Mauricio did a fantastic job, we are very grateful. I wish him all the best for the future. I’m still in contact with him.
“My relationship is very good with him. It just got to the point where it felt we needed a divorce.
“But it is hard managing a club. The pressure these managers are under is immense. There aren’t many managers that manage a club for five years. [The longevity of Sir] Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger is very, very, very unusual.
“When they first started, the League wasn’t where it is today. It is so competitive and intense. I think it is very unlikely you are going to see a repeat of that. The Ferguson and Wenger eras are in the past.
“We are obsessed in this country with the longevity of the so-called ‘manager’, in Europe it is normal every two years to get someone else. It isn’t personal. They don’t even sign five-year contracts. They sign for two years and then another coach comes in.
“Mauricio and Jose are great coaches. They are different, they have different styles and Mauricio took us a long way.
“He did an amazing job and I’m sure that Jose will do equally an amazing job in a different way.”
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