Mauricio Pochettino issues statement on Spurs return amid calls for Igor Tudor sacking
Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has spoken out after being linked with a return to the Premier League club as pressure continues to grow on current boss Igor Tudor.
Pochettino, who previously managed Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, is currently the head coach of the USMNT, having also previously coached Espanyol, Southampton, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
The 54-year-old Argentinian will no doubt be focused on guiding the USMNT to a successful tournament in what is mostly a US-based competition, although some games will be played in neighbouring Mexico and Canada.
However, with the current Spurs boss, Tudor, having not won a single game since succeeding Thomas Frank as head coach on 14 February, Pochettino is among the names linked with undertaking the role should the Croatian be sacked.
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Former Juventus boss Tudor has lost all four of his matches in charge, with the latest disappointment coming by way of a 5-2 defeat away at Atletico in the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday (10 March).
On Wednesday (11 March), the Guardian reported that Tudor, who is under contract until the end of the season, will remain in the role for Spurs’ trip to Anfield, where they will face Liverpool on 15 March before the north London side hosts relegation rivals Nottingham Forest the following week.
Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has already ruled himself out of the running to replace Tudor despite previous links with a shock return earlier this week.
“I’ve been asked a few times if I’d go back to Spurs, and it’s probably not going to happen, is it?” Redknapp said.
“Would I go back? Of course I would, but I doubt very much it’s going to happen. My only concern at the minute is The Jukebox Man in the Gold Cup. I’m nothing to do with Spurs any more. They haven’t been in touch, not at all.”
Meanwhile, Pochettino has also spoken out amid links with a Spurs return and stressed that he is focused on the World Cup with the USA.
Speaking to RNE Audio, Pochettino said: “They're just rumours. I'm always being linked with clubs, like I was with Espanyol back in the day. People are letting emotions get the better of them. We're focused on the World Cup in the USA. My contract expires after the World Cup."
The USMNT's World Cup campaign gets underway against Paraguay on 13 June.
Topics: Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Football
Luke Davies