Simon Jordan has opined that Mauricio Pochettino does not have the ‘winning gene’ and slammed the Argentine for crying after guiding Tottenham to the Champions League final.
While many Spurs fans might still be in favour of the idea of Pochettino returning to the club, it does not seem as if that is likely if recent reports are to be believed.
The Daily Star claimed last week Tottenham had informed the Argentine that he is not in consideration for the role, with Julian Nagelsmann, Arne Slot, Thomas Frank and Vincent Kompany said to head the club’s wishlist.
Meanwhile, The Athletic claimed on Wednesday that while Pochettino would be open to returning to N17, Spurs have not initiated any contact with their former boss.
The 51-year-old is also thought to be Chelsea’s shortlist to replace Graham Potter, with The Telegraph reporting a few days ago that the Blues are expected to speak to the former Tottenham manager.
However, Jordan believes that Pochettino simply lacks the ruthless edge and the winning mentality that top managers have.
The former Crystal Palace owner told talkSPORT: “I’ve never believed that Pochettino has the winning gene.
“I think he’s a really good manager, I think he’ll get you to a certain level.
“But, there’s something about Pochettino that just tells me he doesn’t have this ruthless streak that someone like [Thomas] Tuchel had and someone like obviously the great Alex Ferguson had and [Jose] Mourinho has. This inability to see anything other than just winning at all costs.
“But the point is, I don’t want to see a manager crying on the touchline when you won the Champions League semi-final, I want to see you win.
“A good fight is not one you put up, it’s one you win, and I want my managers to win! I don’t want to see crying on the side.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While I can respect Jordan’s opinion on Pochettino, I do not think it is fair to have a go at the Argentine for bursting into tears when Spurs qualified for the Champions League final.
Given the cards, he was handed (Spurs not signing anyone in two transfer windows, playing the entire season at Wembley), it was an outstanding achievement and the dramatic manner in which we won the semifinal, made it even more special.