Tottenham set to name Mauricio Pochettino as new manager this week
Tottenham Hotspur are expected to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as
their new manager this week after Southampton failed to convince the
Argentinian that they can push on to the next level.
A deal to bring Pochettino to White Hart Lane is nearing completion and those close to the negotiations believe it is a formality that he will be named as the replacement for Tim Sherwood, who was sacked by Daniel Levy at the end of the season after less than a year in the job. It is also understood that Franco Baldini’s position as Tottenham’s technical director is in doubt. The Italian’s reputation has suffered after the club’s extensive dealings in the transfer market last summer produced mixed results.
Although Tottenham have also been closely linked with the Ajax manager, Frank de Boer, they have been monitoring Pochettino’s progress for a while and expressed their interest in him to Southampton. Talks have been continuing behind the scenes over the past fortnight.
Southampton have been desperate to hold on to Pochettino and have held talks with the 42-year-old since the end of the season in an attempt to dissuade him from leaving. They had been hopeful that he would sign a new contract, yet Pochettino’s mind was made up after Southampton were unable to provide him with assurances that they would be able to keep their best players and try to break into the elite after finishing eighth last season, two places below Tottenham. Pochettino believes that his ambition cannot be satisfied at St Mary’s and that he would be better served by joining Tottenham, who have the foundations in place to provide him with the resources to challenge for a place in the top four.
Pochettino’s departure has been on the cards ever since Nicola Cortese resigned as Southampton’s executive chairman in January. Cortese was instrumental in bringing Pochettino to England 16 months ago and the pair are close. Pochettino threatened to resign when Cortese’s position came under threat last year, saying that he could not imagine Southampton without the Italian, and he has been coy when questioned about his future over the past four months.
Southampton could be forgiven for feeling that they are victims of their own success. Their impressive performances have led to their players attracting admirers from elsewhere, and the challenge for the club’s owner, Katharina Liebherr, and Cortese’s replacement, Ralph Krueger, is to ensure that an exciting young team is not broken up prematurely.
Yet they are vulnerable to offers for players such as Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw. Lallana, their captain and talisman, is close to joining Liverpool, and losing him would be a major blow, while Manchester United are ready to pay £30m for Shaw, although there are doubts over that deal and other clubs, including Chelsea, who the 18-year-old supported as a boy, are monitoring the situation. There has also been interest in Southampton’s Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren and the French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.
From Tottenham’s perspective, they feel that Pochettino can lead them into the Champions League. There was surprise when the former Espanyol manager replaced Nigel Adkins but he led Southampton to the relative safety of 14th place in his first season in England, with eye-catching victories over Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City highlighting his potential.
Southampton pushed on from there and Pochettino built on Adkins’ good work by making them more solid defensively. A philosophy based around possession and pressing was wholeheartedly embraced by the squad, and Pochettino has not been afraid to turn to the club’s flourishing academy and promote youngsters into the first team.
Tottenham will hope that Pochettino can offer them stability after a chaotic season in which they fell below expectations after they lost Gareth Bale to Real Madrid and spent £107m on seven players last summer. André Villas-Boas was fired in December after the team’s form deteriorated badly and he was replaced by Sherwood, who was given an 18-month contract. However despite finishing sixth, poor performances against the top sides and an outspoken style led to Sher wood losing his job.
Other than Christian Eriksen, Tottenham’s foreign imports failed to impress, with Erik Lamela, signed for a club record £30m from Roma, a notable disappointment. Baldini was appointed only last year but he will be on shaky ground if the blame is pinned on him by Levy.
A deal to bring Pochettino to White Hart Lane is nearing completion and those close to the negotiations believe it is a formality that he will be named as the replacement for Tim Sherwood, who was sacked by Daniel Levy at the end of the season after less than a year in the job. It is also understood that Franco Baldini’s position as Tottenham’s technical director is in doubt. The Italian’s reputation has suffered after the club’s extensive dealings in the transfer market last summer produced mixed results.
Although Tottenham have also been closely linked with the Ajax manager, Frank de Boer, they have been monitoring Pochettino’s progress for a while and expressed their interest in him to Southampton. Talks have been continuing behind the scenes over the past fortnight.
Southampton have been desperate to hold on to Pochettino and have held talks with the 42-year-old since the end of the season in an attempt to dissuade him from leaving. They had been hopeful that he would sign a new contract, yet Pochettino’s mind was made up after Southampton were unable to provide him with assurances that they would be able to keep their best players and try to break into the elite after finishing eighth last season, two places below Tottenham. Pochettino believes that his ambition cannot be satisfied at St Mary’s and that he would be better served by joining Tottenham, who have the foundations in place to provide him with the resources to challenge for a place in the top four.
Pochettino’s departure has been on the cards ever since Nicola Cortese resigned as Southampton’s executive chairman in January. Cortese was instrumental in bringing Pochettino to England 16 months ago and the pair are close. Pochettino threatened to resign when Cortese’s position came under threat last year, saying that he could not imagine Southampton without the Italian, and he has been coy when questioned about his future over the past four months.
Southampton could be forgiven for feeling that they are victims of their own success. Their impressive performances have led to their players attracting admirers from elsewhere, and the challenge for the club’s owner, Katharina Liebherr, and Cortese’s replacement, Ralph Krueger, is to ensure that an exciting young team is not broken up prematurely.
Yet they are vulnerable to offers for players such as Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw. Lallana, their captain and talisman, is close to joining Liverpool, and losing him would be a major blow, while Manchester United are ready to pay £30m for Shaw, although there are doubts over that deal and other clubs, including Chelsea, who the 18-year-old supported as a boy, are monitoring the situation. There has also been interest in Southampton’s Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren and the French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.
From Tottenham’s perspective, they feel that Pochettino can lead them into the Champions League. There was surprise when the former Espanyol manager replaced Nigel Adkins but he led Southampton to the relative safety of 14th place in his first season in England, with eye-catching victories over Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City highlighting his potential.
Southampton pushed on from there and Pochettino built on Adkins’ good work by making them more solid defensively. A philosophy based around possession and pressing was wholeheartedly embraced by the squad, and Pochettino has not been afraid to turn to the club’s flourishing academy and promote youngsters into the first team.
Tottenham will hope that Pochettino can offer them stability after a chaotic season in which they fell below expectations after they lost Gareth Bale to Real Madrid and spent £107m on seven players last summer. André Villas-Boas was fired in December after the team’s form deteriorated badly and he was replaced by Sherwood, who was given an 18-month contract. However despite finishing sixth, poor performances against the top sides and an outspoken style led to Sher wood losing his job.
Other than Christian Eriksen, Tottenham’s foreign imports failed to impress, with Erik Lamela, signed for a club record £30m from Roma, a notable disappointment. Baldini was appointed only last year but he will be on shaky ground if the blame is pinned on him by Levy.
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