Mauricio Pochettino Happy at Tottenham for Now, but Leaves Door Open to Real Madrid

Real Madrid have earmarked Mauricio Pochettino as Zinedine Zidane’s replacement, but the Argentine remains committed to Spurs for the time being at least.

Pochettino plans to honour his agreement with Tottenham chairman

Tottenham have been very consistent under Pochettino

Pochettino signed a new five-year deal with Tottenham last week, but that didn’t stop giants Real Madrid of circling around the Argentine manager as they look to find a suitable replacement for their departing boss Zinedine Zidane.

It will be difficult for the Spanish side to find the right person for the highly-demanding post, especially since Zidane just won his third consecutive Champions League trophy, but the hierarchy at the Bernabeu believe Pochettino has the right experience to continue the Galacticos’ mission.

But Pochettino stressed that he wants to keep his word to Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy – who has cultivated a reputation of being a tough negotiator and businessman to deal with - of staying at the club.

“It would be disrespectful to Daniel for me to force a move,” Pochettino said. “I’ve just renewed with Tottenham and I am happy. I live in the present – there is nothing more important than that. I enjoy what is happening and what has to be will be. The link now with Madrid s normal and I take with all normality. I’m committed to Spurs and still have a long contract with them I just signed.”

According to online sportsbook news, the 46-year-old recently suggested that he would be willing to manage Real Madrid at some point in his career, but just not now having signed a fresh long-term deal with the North London side. While speaking to Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, “When Real Madrid call you, you have to listen to them, Although in this case it doesn’t depend on me. I have just signed a long contract with Tottenham and I am very happy here.”

Pochettino has enjoyed steady progress with Spurs

Although Tottenham haven’t won any trophies under Pochettino since he’s been at the club, their performances have visibly improved under his reign. The Argentine entered managed in the summer of 2009 with La Liga side Espanyol – merely three years after retiring from football with the same club – and after a string of solid display in the Spanish championship for three seasons, he took up the chance to go the Premier League where he proved his worth with Southampton.

After an 18-month stay with the Saints, Tottenham came calling and Pochettino signed up for the new challenge ahead of the 2014/15 campaign. In his first season in charge of the club, Spurs recorded merely 64 points and finished 5th in the Premier League.

Providers of internet betting in UK were then offering favourable odds for Daniel Levy to sack him, but he stayed on and managed to impress in his second season after Tottenham finished 3rd on the table with a remarkable 70 points, while in the 2016/17 season, they finished as runners-up in the league with a cool 86 points which saw them narrowly miss out on their first Premier League title since 1961. Last season wasn’t as spectacular as Tottenham ended in 3rd again with 77 points to their name, but considering that the board handed Pochettino a new lucrative deal just recently signals their satisfaction with their manager’s performance, for now at least. We’re pretty certain that if he were to be fired, Europe’s biggest clubs would all be after his signature.