Mauricio Pochettino was ‘sitting by the phone’ waiting for a call that from Tottenham before entering into talks with Chelsea, his close confidant Alan Brazil has claimed.
With Spurs looking for a new permanent manager after the departure of Antonio Conte, the idea of re-appointing Pochettino – who enjoyed a productive spell in north London between 2014 and 2019 – has been mooted by many.
But Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to admit his mistake in sacking Pochettino and now Spurs fans are forced to watch on as Chelsea approach Pochettino to be their next boss. It is expected that the Argentine will be appointed to take over at the end of the season.
In a conversation with former Chelsea full-back Scott Minto on talkSPORT, former Tottenham player Brazil revealed the closeness of his relationship with Pochettino, detailing one of their recent chats about the manager’s next job.
Minto joked he was “surprised” Pochettino didn’t tell radio host Brazil about his impending move to Chelsea.
“I really like the guy. I think he’s a top, top bloke but one thing I do know he was so disappointed that Spurs didn’t even contact him,” said Brazil.
“I spoke to Poch a few weeks ago, and he was sitting by the phone almost waiting for Spurs to come and call him.
“He wants a bit of the Premier [League] again, and it looks as if he could be on his way to Chelsea.”
With Ryan Mason holding the fort until the end of the season, it remains to be seen who Tottenham to turn as Conte’s permanent successor.
Frank Lampard remains in caretaker charge of Chelsea, although it’s now expected that Pochettino will take the reigns and look to rebuild the Stamford Bridge club, who have endured a torrid campaign – the first under the new owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
