Marcelo Bielsa could be set for a reunion with one of his biggest football love affairs.
The Leeds United boss is an icon within the game and his relationships with fellow managers have grabbed the headlines.
Bielsa has spoken in great detail about his deep-rooted admiration for Pep Guardiola, in particular, with the pair famously meeting at the Argentine's ranch to discuss tactics back in 2009.
Another of Bielsa's great admirers is Mauricio Pochettino, who could be set for a Premier League return with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Paris Saint-Germain boss has held talks about a sensational return to North London to replace Jose Mourinho, the man who replaced him.
Bielsa spoke recently about his admiration for Pochettino in an interview with French outlet Canal.
“Mauricio Pochettino is a reference point for world football," he said.
"He was forced to adapt immediately and he won a truly great match vs Barcelona. It is strong proof of Mauricio’s capabilities and his big influence.
"On the footballing side, tactically and managing big players… To know how to manage big players is not something that everyone can do. I have a lot of affection for Pochettino, gratitude, I like him a lot… He is at the top, he deserves it.”
For Pochettino, Bielsa has always been a reference point, having worked together with Argentina, Newell's Old Boys and Espanyol.
"The most important thing that everybody needs to know is that he is a very special man," Pochettino told Sky Sports in November.
"He is a very different character and a very different coach who believes in a different way to play, his own method that he created to train.
"It is difficult to adapt to him. But for me, it is very difficult to talk about him because my relationship with him began when I was 13 when I arrived at Newell's Old Boys. When you are a kid trying to translate his ideas to the spectators it is tough.
"I remember my first day on the training ground, playing 11 versus 11, I was desperate to play. I was 13, that is all you want to do. He told me that I would play as a striker, like Harry Kane. I said, 'No, I am a centre-back'. He told me that his scouts told him I was a striker.
"I told him that was because it was a small town and I was the best player. You play in every position if you are the best player. He said, 'OK, you are going to play as a centre-back'.
"After five minutes, he told me to sit next to him. He said, 'Mauricio, you are going to be a Newell's Old Boys player. Now go to take a shower.' I said, 'Why do I need to take a shower, I have only been playing five minutes.'
"He said, 'No, go to the office and then go back to your town and tell your dad that you are going to play for Newell's Old Boys.'
"For a kid aged 13, that explains how he was and how he is. He had this unbelievable intuition, perception. So clever. He had a different brain to all of the people that I coach."
