Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new permanent manager is set to heat up in the coming weeks.
Regardless of how the rest of the season pans out, Igor Tudor will leave in June, having only signed a short-term deal to conduct a bit of a firefighting job at N17.
Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with an emotional return to Tottenham, nearly seven years after being sacked by the club at the start of the 2019-20 season.
The Argentine is currently in charge of the USA National Team and is set to lead the hosts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And now, he has dropped a clear hint that a return to Tottenham could well be on the cards this summer.
Pochettino makes Tottenham feelings very clear
After leaving Tottenham, Pochettino managed Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and returned to the Premier League with Chelsea for the 2023-24 season.
After his sacking at Stamford Bridge, he got the USA job to lead them into a home World Cup, which proved to be an opportunity he couldn’t refuse at the time.
However, with Tottenham on the lookout for a manager to lead them into a new era, who better than the Argentine himself, who managed the club successfully between 2014 and 2019 despite not winning a major trophy.
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When asked directly about what the future holds, Pochettino opened up the possibility of returning to his former club.
“I’m always linked (to clubs), to Tottenham, just like at one time I was linked to Espanyol, or to other clubs,” said the Argentine during a radio interview with “Radiogaceta de los Deportes” on RNE in Spain
“In the end, especially because of my past at those clubs, when things aren’t going well, people tend to fall back on emotions and say, ‘Well, with Mauricio we played good football,’ or whatever it may be.
“But no. We’re focused on the World Cup, on the United States. My contract runs until after the World Cup, so after that we’ll see what might happen. Open to everything, right?”
Poch is the right man
It hasn’t been plain sailing for Poch and Tottenham since their mutual separation in 2019.
The North London outfit have made a series of wrong appointments over the years, while their well-renowned transfer strategy – known for developing the likes of Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen, among others – has been a mixed bag recently.
As for Pochettino, he has failed to nail down a permanent home since leaving North London.
Read More: Tottenham fans feel Conor Gallagher signing could have something to do with Mauricio Pochettino
In the summer of 2026, the stars could align, with the two parties looking increasingly likely to reunite.
When Pochettino left in 2019, there was always a feeling of unfinished business at the club.
And seven years later, it looks like he could be presented with a golden opportunity to oversee the touchline at a club where he is regarded as a legendary figure.
Tottenham need someone to breathe new life into the club, and who better than someone who has already been there and done it once in the not-so-distant past?
