When Tottenham sacked Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, it felt like one of the most momentous decisions in the club’s modern history.
So it has proved, with Spurs’ decline in the interim testament to the job that he did in his five years in north London.
While the context of his sacking made the internal logic obvious – 14th in the Premier League at the time, Spurs had struggled to deal with the emotional fallout of losing the Champions League final six months previous – replacing him with Jose Mourinho was a high-stakes gamble.
It failed to pay off and, a little under two years later, Mourinho is no longer at the helm, Spurs are still without a trophy since 2008 and a club which demands Champions League football now faces the prospect of a season in the Europa Conference League.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Pochettino in the meantime, either. After a spell on the sidelines, he succeeded Thomas Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain in January.
If he was hoping to win Ligue 1 at the first time of asking, he was disappointed. Lille sealed their first title since 2011 at the weekend, though Pochettino has at least got his hands on some silverware this season by winning the Coupe de France.
Now, according to The Sun, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is looking to engineer Pochettino’s return to the Premier League.
And given his mixed fortunes at PSG, Pochettino may be tempted to make a dramatic comeback.
Were Pochettino to return, it might help Levy to persuade Harry Kane to remain at the club. Kane has indicated his desire to leave this summer, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea all credited with an interest in him.
Levy has reportedly admitted to friends that sacking Pochettino was the worst mistake of his career.
Given Pochettino’s enduring popularity, reappointing him would no doubt go down well with supporters.
Levy could do with a PR coup, having caused a deep rift with fans thanks to his involvement in the failed European Super League breakaway.
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