Tottenham are eyeing former manager Mauricio Pochettino as a potential replacement for Antonio Conte if the Italian leaves Spurs at the end of the season. (Nicolo Schira) No, please NO. never buy back and never rehire.
I get that, and should probably feel the same. But I don't. I'd have him back in a heartbeat. At least then I could love being Spurs again. At least for a little while.
I'm mixed. Part of me would not mind him back as he did really good things with the team. The part I'm not excited about is that he never got Spurs over the line. Three times he had the chance to get Spurs a trophy, and three times he failed. I would hope he learned at PSG, but I'm not sure he did.
Please try and forget prejudices where football successes are concerned LAA. He did very well and is a good coach. I don't hate any team and all I want is a trophy or two for Spurs. Chelsea or not I think he'd be a good acquisition for us. You'd say no just because he coached Chelsea? Come on.
Tuchel was rubbish towards the end of his Chelsemen tenure. The team were disjointed and playing badly. PSG are apparently getting him back to replace Gaultier.
If he is given time, Poch would be ideal. The current squad would need to be overhauled to play his pressing, front-foot style AND we would need an Eriksen-style player in midfield. Central defense and the goalkeeper also have to be changed regardless of who the manager is.
I gotta say, that Oliver Glasner of Eintract Frankfurt has impressed me. Chelsea had wanted him before they opted for Potter and I have a feeling they might still go for him if they feel Potter isn't up to the job.
The only one. Keane didn't work for us as didn't Lukaku for Chelsea and Ronaldho at Trafford. As has been already stated Poch did not get us over the line. If he comes back it won't be for as long as his first stint.
It's all a matter of perspective. Sure, I'm not crazy about the football the Conte makes us play, and many of those trying to play it. And I hate that money has corrupted the culture of this magnificent game from terrace to boardroom to governing bodies. And I suppose that is sad. But when I'm sat in the stadium this Sunday, loathing Chelsea with every fiber of my being, my glass will be half full.
Football is one of the few avenues where unbridled and illogical dislike for another group of humans because they were different color clothes is ok for a couple of hours a week (obvious caveat if that dislike turns violent/racist/bigoted). Nuance is exhausting but necessary in things that actually matter that we have to deal with in real life so having a black-and-white, lizard-brain outlet is fun.
What about Defoe? He came back and had a pretty good run until he made the bizarre decision to go play in Toronto. He wanted to go to LA, so his agent told him it was a suburb with great beaches... Another exercise in Levy Transfernomics: he sold Defoe to Pompey for 8-9 million quid and then realized our forwards were shite, and then bought him back for 20 million when we were floundering in the relegation zone.
Or, put differently, he backed his manager. Harry took him to Pompey, and when he came to Spurs, he wanted him again. And got him. And if that was bad business (fair enough), then selling Keane to Liverpool and buying him back 6 months later at a fraction of the price was pretty nifty. The irony here, though, is that, in footballing terms, buying Defoe back was the better deal.
You only need one counterexample to refute 'never'. I understand the sentiment though, it often doesn't work. As for his record, we have broken much more successful managers than Poch. Personally I think he's about our level: big, but not too big for us. If de Zerbi had a bit more of a track record in England I'd be interested in him. He'll get a big job one day.
Keane was basically a wash - we bought him for basically the same fee we sold him - it was just some classic Levy technicalities that made it look like we paid less.
Although Tottenham are in contention to qualify for the Champions League next season, they are said to be looking at other managerial targets. Among them is Luciano Spalletti, who has guided Napoli to a big lead at the top of the Serie A table. Il Mattino explain Spurs [and a few other English clubs] are ‘ready to go crazy’ to appoint the 63-year-old. Like Conte, his compatriot’s deal expires in 2023 and the Italian club can extend it further until 2024. This is taken from a file in "Newsnow Spurs." Not only Spalletti has been mentioned because of a brief...ish good spell so too has Dortmund's manager because of 8 wins consecutively. Also de Zerbi because of a brief spell of winning at Brighton. I think we ought to be very careful about appointing a coach because of what may be a flash in the pan period. Far better to go for a proven runner over the longer course should Antonio leave. Also in Newsnow Spurs there's an article about Levy not wanting Tuchel................levy's an idiot.