Mauricio Pochettino Gets His Wish After Once Claiming He'd Rather Be A Farmer Than Manage Arsenal

Mauricio Pochettino once said he'd rather quit football to become a farmer than manage Spurs' rivals Arsenal, and now he looks set to be joining Ligue 1...

Thomas Tuchel was sacked on Christmas Eve by PSG, less than a day after the French champions beat Strasbourg 4-0.

It looks likely that the former Borussia Dortmund boss will be replaced by Pochettino, with a number of sources claiming talks have already begun with the Argentina.

Pochettino has been linked with a number of big jobs since leaving Spurs 13 months ago and his strong ties to the north London club once made him make a bold statement.

Talking in January 2018, via the Standard, Pochettino said he'd rather become a farmer than take charge of any of his former sides' rivals.

"I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol," the former defender told a press conference, "I grew up in Newell's Old Boys and will never manage Rosario Central.

"That is my decision because I prefer to work on my farm in Argentina than in some places. But my commitment is massive in this club. I am working like I am going to be here forever.

"But in the end, it is like the players, you never know what is going to happen in football. It is a lot of rumours about this, about that."

Pochettino managing at the Emirates against Arsenal. Image: PA Images

The French top tier is often referred to unfavourably as being a 'Farmers league' to mock the quality of the league, specifically below PSG.

Player's achievements, especially when it comes to the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, are diminished because Ligue 1 is supposedly full of farmers in other teams.

This season it's so far proving more difficult for the side who have won the title seven of the last eight seasons, and they currently sit third in the league.

That's why Tuchel was sacked just months after his side reached the Champions League final, before losing, not unlike Pochettino who did that exact thing with Spurs in 2019 before being replaced by Jose Mourinho.

Poch and Tuchel managing against each other for Spurs and Dortmund in 2016. Image: PA Images

Looking at the state of the two teams now, no matter the perceived strength of their leagues, you'd much rather be managing PSG than Arsenal.

Will Poch end his streak of not winning trophies at the Parc des Princes?

Topics: Spurs, Football News, Tottenham Hotspur, Thomas Tuchel, Ligue 1, PSG, Mauricio Pochettino, Premier League, Arsenal, France

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a writer for SPORTbible. He covers all sport from football, formula one, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics, mma and wrestling. He obviously hates YOUR football team and has no interest in synchronised swimming.

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