Mauricio Pochettino has already explained why he would be open to returning to Tottenham after missing out on the Manchester United job last year.
The Argentine spent five-and-a-half years at the helm of the north London club, taking them to the Champions League final in 2019 before being dismissed six months later. He subsequently spent a season-and-a-half at Paris Saint-Germain prior to his sacking at the end of last season.
Pochettino has been out of football for 10 months, despite having led PSG to the Ligue 1 title in his one full season at the helm. His failures with the club on the European stage ultimately sealed his fate in Paris.
He had been linked with taking over at United to replace interim coach Ralf Rangnick at the end of 2021/22 but the Red Devils ultimately opted to appoint boss Erik ten Hag from Ajax with Pochettino yet to take up a post elsewhere.
Pochettino subsequently spoke about that decision, suggesting that “timing” was a key reason for him not being in the Old Trafford hot seat. He was PSG boss when United were replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Rangnick in November 2021, whereas six months later the position of both had changed.
A report in The Times now suggests Pochettino is open to returning to Tottenham, should boss Antonio Conte – as is expected – leave his post as boss this summer. Pochettino’s quotes from four months ago on “timing” are now prescient, as he is open to a new job as Spurs are monitoring the possibility of a new boss.
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"Football is about timing," Pochettino explained on Radio Marca in November, when recalling his links to Old Trafford. "These are the moments for it to coincide and for that marriage to happen. Sometimes it’s just a matter of time.
"I don’t believe in trains passing only once. I think that sometimes you have to have the necessary patience and you have to know how to wait. The ‘timing’ is handled by football, it is true that my name has always been associated with big clubs.
"I have a lot of respect for professionals and it’s hard for me to sell myself, that’s work for you. That routine that is generated when you are at work is created as a result of the adrenaline of day-to-day. You miss it.
"Now what we do is get together, zoom, eat with the family and talk about the great debates that we generate. That is missed. But at the same time, we do things that when you are immersed in the battle of work we cannot do. Being with family heals a lot."
