Ange Postecoglou says Mauricio Pochettino deserves nothing but respect when he returns to Tottenham as Chelsea manager on Monday.
Pochettino is likely to get a mixed reception from Spurs supporters on his first return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since he was sacked by the club four years ago this month.
The Argentine transformed Spurs during a five-and-a-half-year tenure, twice leading them to challenges for the League title and reaching the Champions League final in 2019.
Postecoglou says Pochettino will not "get a guard of honour" on Monday night but believes his work at Spurs will stand the test of time.
"It is undoubted that he had an unbelievable impact on this football club," Postecoglou said of his predecessor.
"He almost took the club to the ultimate summit of the Champions League, got close to the League, so his work is unquestioned. Everyone I speak to around here, there are still people who worked with him, they can't speak highly enough of him as a person and as a manager.
"I doubt there will be anything but respect for Mauricio from anyone at this football club, supporters or people associated, but it doesn't mean he will get a guard of honour on Monday night because we want to win.
"I don't think he would expect that, but his tenure here and impact here is undeniable and will stand the test of time. Whenever people think of Mauricio and his time here as a Spurs manager, they will only look upon it with respect and fondness."
Postecoglou and Pochettino both started their new jobs in July with a similar brief, to transform their respective clubs, but Spurs and Chelsea continue to have very different approaches.
The Blues have spent more than £1billion under their new owners in just three transfer windows, while Spurs continue to be run within their means by chairman Daniel Levy.
The two managers have had wildly contrasting starts to their new jobs, with unbeaten Spurs top of the League but Chelsea continuing to struggle ahead and in danger of falling 17 points behind their rivals if they lose on Monday.
Postecoglou appeared to question to the Blues' transfer strategy, saying "just spending endless money" is not the right way to be successful. Asked if he would like £1bn to spend, Postecoglou said: "Not necessarily, I’ve always said I’ve never felt it is about just spending money.
"That’s been proved time and time again. Yeah, look if you get it all right then you’ve got a pretty strong case but there’s always a limit to every team. You can’t have 24 world class players.
"That will never work. It doesn’t work, its been proven. Its about having a squad that’s balanced, guys that are committed to a cause, guys that maybe aren’t going to play every game but every time they play they are going to make a huge impact for you because they buy into what you are trying to build. Just spending endless money to get the best players has been proven time and time again is not the answer.
"The answer is to get the right chemistry in your team, in your squad, to have 24 players committed to one cause. I don’t think you can do that If you just get the 24 best players in the world. That’s a headache I definitely don’t want."
The Spurs head coach added: "What I have to deal with and what Mauricio has to deal with are probably very, very different. But in essence what we are trying to do is the same thing: build a team that we believe can bring success.
"You look at Mauricio’s track record and I’ve got no doubt he’ll get Chelsea on the right path, I’ve no doubt about that. How he goes about that, he knows better than anyone else."
Before joining Chelsea, Pochettino had said he would return to Spurs as manager to finish the job he started and he was interested in the role in the summer, only for Levy to opt for Postecoglou instead.
Asked if he would ever go back to one of his former clubs, Postecoglou said: "No, knowing my nature it's unlikely. Once they're exes, they're exes mate.
"I feel like whenever I've left, I've left on the back of success and I like to leave that memory as it is. I just don't think there's any real purpose... I wouldn't see myself going back anywhere I've been but who knows?"
