Pochettino opens the door to the possibility of coaching the England national team in the future

If things had gone differently, Mauricio Pochettino would have returned to his beloved club, Tottenham, during the summer. Tottenham officials have listed him as a candidate to lead the team, which has sparked his interest. There was nothing preventing him from returning, not even the possibility of the club being relegated to the First Division. After participating in the World Cup with the American national team, and before assuming the technical leadership of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, was Pochettino ready to start a new chapter in the first division in England?

“Yes, of course,” says the Argentine coach. “Tottenham is the only club I am always ready to help, regardless of the level in which he plays.”

Football is all about timing, and Pochettino found himself contemplating how circumstances had not worked out in his favour. This has been a recurring theme throughout his coaching career, along with his constant desire to seek new horizons. Tottenham's decision after the dismissal of Thomas Frank in February was to complete the season under interim coach Igor Tudor, after which a further evaluation of potential candidates would take place. Tottenham officials were aware that if they chose Pochettino, they would have to wait for him to sign a contract with the American national team until after the World Cup.

Then the scene changed completely; When Tudor failed in his mission - leaving Tottenham one point above the relegation zone with 7 rounds to go in the season - the club turned to Roberto De Zerbi, who had rejected an offer to lead Tottenham following Frank's dismissal. De Zerbe had just left Marseille and needed a break, but Tottenham made him a long-term offer he couldn't refuse. Thus, Pochettino felt that the door had been closed in his face to return to the club he had led for 5 and a half years since 2014.

“The problem is that the timing was never perfect,” Pochettino says. When I was available for work, I did not receive any communication, and when I was attached to a job, I received an offer but I could not make the decision to return. It was a bit of bad luck. Maybe one day the right circumstances will come together and it will happen. If I had been available, of course I would have agreed. But I wasn't; “I was busy preparing for the World Cup.”

Was the door really open for Pochettino to move to Tottenham?

The club confirmed that De Zerbe was their first target of the summer before being forced to make an early move to sign him. We may never know the truth, but one thing is clear: such hints and Pochettino's openness in talking about them form part of his story, and add more appeal and charisma to his character. In a world where strictly censored content has become the norm, and where coaches find themselves constrained by official club discourse, there is a joy and excitement in listening to Pochettino speak so openly and freely.

The 54-year-old Argentine coach has always attracted the attention of many clubs seeking to sign him, since he began to establish himself as a coach with a future vision and a charismatic leader in dealing with players during his coaching period with Espanyol, which he took over in 2009. He has always been keen to maintain a strong relationship with the clubs he left, and he will always do so. Should the NFL be concerned about his possible departure? Pochettino has just signed a new 4-year contract that runs until the 2030 World Cup. This is probably unhealthy thinking; It is better for the American Federation to focus on the fact that it has one of the best coaches in the game, and to accept the idea that the distinguished coach may have other options.

Pochettino went through pivotal moments that changed the course of events. His name was linked to coaching Real Madrid in November 2017, when expectations indicated that Zinedine Zidane would soon be dismissed, but the French coach continued in his position and ended up winning the Champions League that season. Just two days before the final match against Liverpool, Pochettino had signed a new long-term contract with Tottenham, and 5 days after the final, Zidane announced his sudden resignation. This was not the first - nor the last - time that Pochettino's name was linked to Real Madrid. There were also reports linking him to coaching Manchester United, as the club put his name among the options proposed when sacking Louis van Gaal in 2016, as well as when it dismissed Jose Mourinho in 2018 and turned to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - who started the job on a temporary basis before establishing his feet in it - and before contracting with Erik ten Hag in 2022.

Then there was the England national team; Pochettino's name came up for discussion when the English Football Association was searching for a successor to Gareth Southgate after the 2024 European Nations Cup. According to Pochettino's account, he committed to coaching the American national team in August of that year, that is, before the English Football Association began the search in earnest, a process that ended with the selection of Thomas Tuchel. Could Pochettino consider taking over as coach of the England national team one day? He realizes that his Argentine nationality may be an obstacle; Given the Falkland Islands conflict and the fraught history between the two countries on football fields. The confrontation between England and Argentina was characterized by extreme tension when they met in the World Cup semi-finals last July, where Argentina won by two goals to one. However, Pochettino does not see this as an obstacle to completing such a move.

Commenting on the possibility of coaching the England national team, Pochettino says: “Maybe, yes.” If we look back a few years down the line, that might happen if I get an offer. I do not want a newspaper headline to be written saying that Mauricio is considering taking over the technical leadership of the England national team, because that might expose me to violent attack in the United States, or it might make people think that I am currently thinking about the matter. No, not now. Maybe in the future if you are available to work.” He adds: “I understand the nature of football and respect it. It is true that I have to respect the feelings of my compatriots in Argentina, but at the end of the day football is just a game. The World Cup semi-final was just a football match, despite some trying to turn it into other issues. It is true that the matter may raise controversy; Because an Argentine might one day think of defending the flag of England, while we waged a war against it.”

Pochettino extended his contract with the American national team for many reasons, including the trust placed in him by the American Federation. He was offered a four-year contract before the start of the World Cup, a gesture he greatly appreciated, and he signed the new contract in August. He is excited about this challenge of changing people's perception of the game in the country and building something new, and he has already made a good start. The World Cup journey ended badly with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16. The match was held amid great controversy. Due to the cancellation of the suspension penalty imposed on the player Folarin Balogun, amid the usual media showdown from US President Donald Trump. This was supposed to be a positive thing, but it turned into a curse that negatively affected Balogun and the team, and gave the Belgian team additional motivation. However, things were going quite well before that incident.

The easy victory over Paraguay with a score of 4 goals to one in the opening match sparked a wonderful feeling of optimism, followed by a comfortable victory over Australia to qualify for the group before the final round, then overcoming the obstacle of Bosnia and Herzegovina easily in the round of 32. “We created something special,” Pochettino says. The crowds were truly amazing. We did not expect this massive public support, and the players completely changed their mentality.”

The conversation returns again to Tottenham, as is always the case when talking to Pochettino. He believes that his former striker Harry Kane - who currently plays for Bayern Munich - deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or. He also confirms his happiness that coach De Zerbe has received a budget exceeding 300 million pounds to recruit new players during the summer. It is a number that he himself had never dreamed of. “I'm happy because I feel like Tottenham is still my team,” Pochettino says. His feelings become clearer when he reflects on how Tottenham got rid of its veteran president, Daniel Levy, last September. He is the same man who had previously fired him.

“I think he feels now what I felt when I was sacked,” Pochettino says. I still keep in touch with him, and I never made it personal; It is very possible that the technical director will be dismissed. But remember how I felt in that moment... You get your dismissal letter, you pack your things, and you can't even come back to say goodbye to the people - maybe 200 or 300 people - who were like your family. "You can't text, you can't do anything." He added: “This was a very harsh matter for me, and I spoke to him (Levi) about this matter. Of course, I'm not happy that he's feeling the same way now, as I'm not a person who holds grudges or negative feelings. But yes, the situation is difficult for him and his family, and I feel very sorry for him.”

*The Guardian service