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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Colin Millar

Mauricio Pochettino Tottenham return takes shape as transfer chief eyes reunion

Former Tottenham sporting director Ramon Planes has left Spanish club Getafe and is eyeing a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino in north London.

It comes after Spurs parted company with Antonio Conte on Sunday. The club confirmed Cristian Stellini will be their acting head coach for the remainder of the season, with Ryan Mason his assistant, but they are on the lookout for a permanent appointment this summer.

Pochettino 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.

The Argentine 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.

Conte’s exit at Spurs came after his remarkable post-match press conference following the 3-3 draw with Southampton last weekend. Former Bayern Munich boss Julen Nagelsmann is among the options to fill the void permanently this summer but a return for Pochettino would be popular among the club’s fanbase.

Planes spent the 2014-15 season – Pochettino’s first at Spurs – at the North London club, overseeing a series of arrivals with Dele Alli and Eric Dier among the most notable under his tenure.

Ramon Planes oversaw the recruitment of bargain stars Ronald Araujo and Pedri at Barcelona (NurPhoto/PA Images)

Have Your Say! Should Spurs look to re-appoint Pochettino and Planes? Tell us what you think here.

Planes left Spurs and went onto work for Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Getafe before joining Barcelona in 2018, where he worked on recruitment. He was influential in the deals to sign Pedri and Ronald Araujo, as well as pushing for the promotion of young midfielders Nico Gonzalez and Gavi.

He has now left his most recent role, at Getafe, and a report in Relevo now outlines how he has two main options on the table: a move to La Liga side Real Betis or, an increasingly tempting possibility in his mind, to link-up once again with Pochettino at Spurs.

He would theoretically replace Fabio Paratici in the role at the club, with the Italian’s presence linked to that of Conte – whom he previously worked with at Juventus.

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