Kevin Phillips has insisted that Tottenham should look beyond Mauricio Pochettino, claiming it is never the same when someone returns to a club where they did well in the past.
Pochettino has come under pressure following Paris Saint-Germain’s elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, with some reports suggesting the former Spurs boss could be sacked by the Ligue 1 giants (talkSPORT).
Football Insider revealed last week that the Argentine would jump at the chance to return to Tottenham in the summer if Antonio Conte walks away from the club.
The report claimed that the 50-year-old retains ‘great affection’ for the Lilywhites and has remained in contact with Daniel Levy since leaving Spurs in 2019.
Phillips has now claimed that he does not see Conte walking away from Tottenham at the end of the season. However, the pundit insisted that Spurs should refrain from appointing Pochettino even if the Italian does leave.
When asked if re-signing Pochettino would be the right move for Tottenham, the former Sunderland striker told Football Insider: “In my opinion? No. I’ve said it many times, I don’t see the value in bringing someone back to the football club.
“He did very, very well but for me, it would never be the same. The history of people going back to the club where they’ve done well, I just don’t think it would be the same.
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“I personally don’t think Conte will leave, I think he’ll stay. He’s that type of character who will demand what he wants during the summer and I think he’ll get it.
“I don’t see Pochettino coming back to Tottenham. I think they have to get over that and look past it. They’ve got a top, top manager in at the moment.”
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The reason Pochettino is so revered by the Spurs fan base is not just because of the impact he had on the team on the pitch. The Argentine was also an extremely likeable character and connected with the fans in the way no other manager has since Martin Jol.
Like some Spurs fans, I continue to hope that the 50-year-old will one day return to the club to finish the job he started and guide us to the league title.
However, that is clearly not going to happen anytime soon and I am certainly fully behind Conte for now. I believe the Italian will be backed by the club in the summer and I am hopeful that he can deliver silverware.
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