Daniel Levy has to at least ask the Mauricio Pochettino question. A new manager search process lasting over two months has elapsed and yet not one enquiry into the former Tottenham boss, who took the club forward into their new era admirably over a five-and-a-half year spell, yet he is now in place to take charge at Chelsea and really who can blame him if Spurs showed no interest?
Some supporters may hold disdain towards the Argentine for accepting to take charge of a London rival four years after his Spurs departure, especially with regard to his claims about managing certain teams. "I am so clear. I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol," he said while still in charge at Spurs.
"It’s not down to me. Always I work like I want to be here for the rest of my life. That is my responsibility." As Pochettino explicitly alludes to here, he says nothing directly about managing Chelsea, although his love for Spurs should simply never be questioned.
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The image of him running back out to the Spurs fans kept inside the Johan Cruyff Arena after Spurs' historic Champions League semi-final triumph over Ajax tells you everything you need to know. In fact, even if it doesn't, words from the man himself do the trick.
In April 2020, he told BT Sport: “Deep in my chest, my soul, my heart - I am sure that we will cross [paths] again. From the day that I left the club, my dream is to be back and to try to finish the work that we didn't finish. We were so close to winning the right trophies, the Premier League and the Champions League.
"Maybe in five years, maybe in 10 years, and now I'm going to conspire with the universe and to throw out the idea that before I die, I want to manage Tottenham again and try if possible to win one title.”
Roughly two years later, while managing Paris Saint-Germain he told Rio Ferdinand that he still thought of Tottenham as "his club", further proving that he wishes to return. “I still feel that it's my club, my place,” he said.
“I think when you really feel with the commitment and when you feel the people give everything to try to be successful, and they treat you really, really good how they treat us, it's impossible to forget that. That is why I think Tottenham is always going to be a special club for me."
Clinging on to the glory days and looking back at what Spurs had under Pochettino could be seen as naive for the future, but the simple fact is, Pochettino has unfinished business at the club. Since his departure, Levy's promises of expansive attacking football under a forward-thinking manager have fallen flat and yet he is more than capable of getting that back if he had just simply enquired about a sensational return for Pochettino.
However, that moment has surely passed now and Chelsea are set to be the beneficiaries of Spurs' reluctance to even ask about his availability. However, with no official announcement made, there is slim hope that maybe, just maybe, there is some time for Spurs to mend some bridges and bring Pochettino home, especially after the latest dramatic turn in their search for a new manager.
Arne Slot was the frontrunner for the vacancy but on Thursday morning he committed his future to Feyenoord, ending any talk of a move to Tottenham. It now feels as though Spurs are virtually back to square one of their decision process, which can allow Levy to at the very least ask the question he has avoided on two separate occasions.
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