When Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur back in November, it appeared that there would not be a shortage of takers for his services.
The Portuguese had guided Spurs to the final of the Champions League just months before and his stock was still very high.
However, as a result of the combination of a relative lack of managerial upheavals at Europe’s top clubs and a global pandemic, the Argentine is still out of work, almost eight months on from leaving North London.
If a report in Thursday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo (as relayed by Sport Witness) is to be believed, that might be about to change.
It is claimed that the former Spurs boss “is close” to joining Newcastle United and is set to replace Steve Bruce as the club’s manager.
The report reveals Pochettino has rejected “many offers” including those from Barcelona and Benfica as he was determined to remain in the Premier League.
The Saudi backed consortium’s bid to take over Newcastle has been held up with the Premier League taking months to decide whether to green-light the Magpies’ new owners (BBC Sport).
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Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) suggest that it is unclear if the 48-year-old would still want to manage the Magpies if the takeover does not go through.
Spurs Web Opinion
I have always maintained that Mauricio Pochettino can do a lot better than Newcastle. However, if it is true that he is determined to stay in the Premier League, it could be a tempting project for him, with potentially a lot of money available to spend. I personally do not think it is the right job for him to take as he would be putting himself in a lose-lose scenario.
It will take him a few years to build Newcastle into a force capable of challenging for silverware. Even if he succeeds in making them a Champions League club, there could be question marks about the lack of trophies. Additionally, his record in the transfer market at Spurs (the jury is out on how many were his signings) was quite mixed and he might not be the right fit for Newcastle if their prospective new owners just plan on throwing money at the team till they succeed.
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