Tottenham Hotspur were swamped with rumours surrounding their manager last summer, as the media constantly linked Pochettino to a move to Real Madrid (Independent).
However, the Argentine eventually signed a new five-year deal with the club to remain at Spurs (BBC), and has since led them to their first ever Champions League semi-final.
Pochettino is always one to remove himself and his players from rumours and does not like to talk about other clubs, but he has finally admitted in an interview this week that he turned down a move to Real Madrid.
In an interview with El Pais, Pochettino claims that Real Madrid was his and any manager’s dream job, but he turned it down because Levy wanted him to stay and he still had a contract to honour.
From what he says, it sounds as if Pochettino wanted to leave the club, but stuck around out of loyalty to the team, his chairman, and the contract he signed.
Poch said (El Pais): “The situation was difficult. It is every manager’s dream, to manage the best teams in the world. And, in this case, I had to say ‘no’. That was difficult.
“Because everybody knows that if a manager wants to leave, they do it. But I had just signed a contract extension with Tottenham, and I felt I could not do anything.
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“Daniel Levy did not want to accept any of the bids made for me. But I could not have broken my contract, I cannot behave like that. If my president thinks and feels that I have to continue here, I am not going to leave. Those are not my principles. Why would any team sign a manager that breaks his contracts?”
Spurs Web Opinion:
Pochettino’s comments are leaving me more and more worried towards the end of the season, as it feels as if he is preparing Spurs fans for a departure in the near future. I can’t believe that he will leave this summer, however, especially after the Champions League run and the potential for big transfer window spending. It does highlight a need for investment and success if Spurs are to retain their key players and their gaffer.
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