Newcastle United will have to pay Tottenham Hotspur £12.5 million if they want to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager this month, according to a report in ESPN.
Newcastle United’s £300 million takeover by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund is expected to go through in the coming weeks after the fit and proper person test is complete (The Sun).
Pochettino is reportedly the number one choice to be the next Magpies boss as the club’s prospective new owners were impressed with the rebuilding work he did with Spurs (Sky Sports.)
The Argentine has been out of work since late November when he was sacked by Spurs after five and a half years in charge of the North London outfit following a poor start to the campaign.
The former Spurs boss was placed on leave when Spurs relieved him of his duties, although they are still reportedly paying him his full £8.5 million salary and will continue to do so until he finds a new club (Evening Standard).
ESPN now reports that Tottenham also paid an additional £12.5 million in compensation to relieve Pochettino of his contract.
One of the terms of Pochettino’s departure from Spurs was that any club wishing to employ him within six months would have to repay Spurs that same amount.
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The clause is said to expire at the end of this month, which means that Spurs will not be entitled to compensation from the Magpies if they appoint him after the end of May.
Spurs Web Opinion
Even if Pochettino wants the Newcastle job (which I doubt is the case), in all probability they are unlikely to move for him before the end of the month. Regardless, Pochettino getting hired elsewhere will still be a boost for Spurs even if it happens after May as the Argentine is still one of the highest earners on our books and it will help to get him off the wage bill.
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