Former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Andre Villas-Boas has been persuaded to stay at Marseille for another season by his players, according to a report by ESPN.
While Mauricio Pochettino is thought to be the first choice of the prospective Newcastle United owners to take over as their next manager (Sky Sports), Andre Villas-Boas was said to be the backup option in the event the Magpies fail land the Argentine (Foot Mercato).
The Portuguese coach has had a good first season in the Ligue 1 with Marseille, guiding them to a respectable second-place finish (on points per game basis).
L’Equipe (as relayed by GFFN) reported last week that Villas-Boas rejected an approach from Newcastle despite being offered an increased salary by the Magpies than what he earns in France.
The report also claimed that the former Spurs boss was likely to leave his job at the Stade Velodrome this summer as after being left unhappy with the club’s decision to part ways with Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta.
However, ESPN have now revealed that Villas-Boas has chosen to stay at the Ligue 1 club for one more season and honour his contract.
It is claimed that it was the players who convinced the former Tottenham and Chelsea man to stay put as they are keen for him to spearhead their foray into the Champions League next season.
Spurs Web Opinion
Villas-Boas seems to have been scarred by his experiences in England which is why he recently revealed that he would not work in the Premier League again. While I think he would have been a decent acquisition for Newcastle, the fact that they are going after the Portuguese coach suggests Pochettino is not too keen on taking the job.
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