Why Pochettino should stay clear of United

As the news Manchester United have sacked Jose Mourinho broke, the initial thoughts of Spurs fans will turn straight to Mauricio Pochettino – will he be tempted to leave North London and take up the hotseat at Old Trafford?

Let’s not beat around the bush; managing Manchester United is one of the biggest jobs in the world so, naturally, Pochettino will be at the very least intrigued. The Argentine reportedly rejected the chance to manage United before they opted for Mourinho; and his stock has only risen since then.

Not only that, United will most likely promise Poch a blank check when it comes to signing players, something which he’s been deprived of during his time at Spurs. There’s also the lure of working with big-name players such as Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku and others. Factor in the biggest club stadium in England and suddenly United starts to look like an attractive proposition to Pochettino.

The chances are that if you’re reading this, you’re a Spurs fan; and you might be getting worried. According to Liam Hurst from topbettingapps.co.uk, a site that reviews betting apps, top UK bookies Pochettino is expected to manage United in upcoming season, with odds of 7/4. Well, there are also several reasons as to why Pochettino should in fact stay at Spurs not just for now, but for the foreseeable future.

Firstly, Pochettino doesn’t need a blank cheque for player recruitment. We’ve seen during his time at Tottenham that he only signs players who he needs to sign. Yes, having significant money behind a manager is always helpful, but Pochettino isn’t a manager who will spend money for the sake of it. Not only that, but the recent recruitment at United has been shocking to say the least – all of the above ‘talent’ that I mentioned above may be big names in world football, but they have totally and utterly failed to live up to expectations. Given that Pochettino likes his players to fit his playing philosophy, there’s no guarantee that the likes of Pogba or Lukaku would even fit his system.

The other reason that Pochettino is likely to stay is the timing of this; not only is it halfway through the season, with Spurs still competing in every competition, but there’s also the fact that Tottenham are about to move into the new stadium at White Hart Lane within the next month or two. This project is something Pochettino has been heavily involved with, and it’s unlikely that a) he would leave before the move is completed and b) he wouldn’t complete at least one full season in the new home.

The team at Tottenham is Pochettino’s creation – the players love him and so do the fans. For Pochettino to give that up now, or even at the end of the season, to move to a team which is, for all intents and purposes, toxic ever since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson would be madness.

Rest easy, Spurs fans.