Mauricio Pochettino is ready to return to English football and could be in line for the next big job in the Premier League.
Former Tottenham boss Pochettino’s stock remains high in English football despite him being sacked after 18 months in charge at Paris Saint Germain with the French champions finally confirming his departure.
Pochettino, 50, has been left in limbo for weeks while PSG sorted out the terms of his exit which even held up the appointment of his successor Christophe Galtier who has finally been named as their next boss more than a week after leaving Nice.
That rather sums up the problems behind the scenes which has made it difficult for any manager to succeed. Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane’s advisor Bacary Cisse even revealed PSG tried to sign the Senegal star before Bayern Munich but they dismissed the idea because of the uncertainty surrounding the French giants. Luis Campos has arrived at PSG as a “football advisor” - having worked with Kylian Mbappe at Monaco - to replace sacked sporting director Leonardo.
France superstar Mbappe appears to hold the keys to the kingdom at a club where big names rule and it has become increasingly difficult for managers to work with authority. PSG have yet to make any superstar signings this summer, Neymar’s future looks uncertain despite a contract extension kicking in but the Brazil star could yet be sold. They are the best and richest team in France but the Champions League is their Holy Grail as PSG are determined to be regarded among Europe’s elite.
Pochettino’s time at PSG has been painted as a failure when, actually, the reality is that he won the French title by 15 points this season. And in his first season in charge, Pochettino led them to the Champions League semi finals where they lost to Manchester City and that was further than a host of other top managers like Carlo Ancelotti and Unai Emery managed. The only other manager to get as far as that - and indeed into the final - was Thomas Tuchel who became a victim of the politics at PSG and has gone on to excel at Chelsea.
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It surely cannot be a coincidence that several top managers have struggled to live up to expectations and, rather than blame Pochettino, perhaps look at if they are given the right platform to succeed. There are so many egos and personalities in the dressing room, agents and players complaining to the club’s president rather than the manager when they are dropped and a training facility which is outdated and out of step with everything else at the club. They are rebuilding the training ground but, until then, PSG have the three best paid players in the world with Lionel Messi, Mbappe and Neymar all using facilities from the 90s.
It is a strange contradiction for a mega-rich club trying to grow up fast. But any manager will struggle to succeed and manage a dressing room which has often seemed out of control, run by the players and no-one is allowed to challenge their egos and reputations. But it was PSG’s exit from the Champions League which was seen as the fatal blow for Pochettino. They were knocked out by Real Madrid after blowing a two-goal lead. However, Real Madrid went on to knock out Chelsea and City on the way to the final where they beat Liverpool. So maybe they weren’t as bad after all.
