Mauricio Pochettino is set to receive a significant show of support from the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy after the London club moved to lure Southampton’s highly rated head of recruitment Paul Mitchell, an ally from St Mary’s, to undertake similar duties at White Hart Lane.
The Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, is keen to secure Mitchell to the club’s scouting staff and the former MK Dons and Wigan Athletic player will apparently not be answerable to the current Tottenham director of football, Franco Baldini. Levy has grown infuriated with the team’s recent results – Stoke inflicted a third defeat in four league games on Sunday to leave Spurs languishing in 12th place, already 15 points from the top – and is seeking to make significant changes to the set-up over the coming months.
While Pochettino, who was appointed head coach as Tim Sherwood’s successor in the summer, had admitted he was under considerable pressure following that latest loss, the anticipated arrival of Mitchell would actually appear to strengthen his position at the London club.
The pair worked closely over 18 months at Southampton and the Argentinian has championed the 33-year-old’s credentials to Levy, indicating he trusts his judgment in terms of targeting and securing players. Where his arrival might leave Baldini is as yet unclear.
While the Saints, currently second in the table and resurgent under Ronald Koeman, would be reluctant to lose his services after almost three years at the club, there is an acceptance they may not be able to dissuade him from leaving. Mitchell – who had initially made the step up from player to head of recruitment at MK Dons – has travelled the globe in a scouting capacity for the Premier League club and is credited with the arrival of many of Southampton’s players since his arrival on the south coast in January 2012.
Tottenham’s recruitment policy has still to recover from the £110m outlay on seven players in anticipation of Gareth Bale’s world record £85m move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013. Of those signed ahead of the current season, the likes of Benjamin Stambouli, Federico Fazio and Ben Davies have yet to make a consistently positive impact on the senior side, with Pochettino struggling to implement the style and approach which had proved so successful during his time at St Mary’s at his new club.
While the manager appears set to be backed for the immediate future, a disgruntled support has made their frustrations known at the chairman. There were suggestions on social media earlier this week that some anti-Levy banners had been confiscated by stewards during the loss to Stoke, but Tottenham insist all signs have to receive approval before being taken into the ground to comply with health and safety.
“Levy out” banners – just like “Pardew out” banners brought the stadium by Newcastle fans earlier this season – will continue to be rejected on the basis they could incite conflict between fans who hold different opinions.
