Ryan Mason insists he is paying no attention to Mauricio Pochettino’s seemingly imminent move to Chelsea.
The former Tottenham boss is expected to become the third permanent manager of the Boehly-Clearlake Capital era at Stamford Bridge and a deal is edging closer.
Pochettino led Spurs during their most exciting years in recent history between 2014 and 2019, mounting two Premier League title challenges and reaching a Champions League final.
After the departure of Antonio Conte, many Spurs fans had called for the Argentine’s return but there was no approach Daniel Levy.
Given the ill-feeling between the London rivals, Chelsea were understood to have initially held reservations about a move for Pochettino considering his emotional attachment to Spurs.
Still, talks have progressed and a deal is now close.
Mason, meanwhile, has been installed as Spurs’ interim manager until the end of the season following the departure of Cristian Stellini.
The former midfielder played under Pochettino in north London but insisted the prospect of his old mentor managing a big rival was not something on his mind.
“Like I’ve said, the focus is on inside here,” said Mason at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.
“We’re not going to listen and look on the outside noise, because there’s [always] going to be outside noise.
“But we have to focus on our jobs. And our job is to get results on the football pitch. My feeling is that comes from the training ground and the training pitch, so that’s our only focus right now.”
