Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane believes Mauricio Pochettino will eventually return to the club as manager.
Pochettino recently admitted that he would like to ‘come back to Tottenham’ and that he still has a ‘very, very good relationship’ with chairman Daniel Levy.
Current manager Ange Postecoglou was subsequently asked about Pochettino’s comments and said that he ‘did not feel disrespected’ by him.
He claimed it was natural for Pochettino to have ‘dreams and aspirations’ and that he gets the chance to return in the future. Keane thinks it will happen.
“I think it’s inevitable that Pochettino will go back to Spurs at some stage,” he told Betway Insider. He was great for Tottenham.
“I know him personally and he and his assistant Jesus Perez are really good people, and it’s clear to see the love they have for the football club.
“Obviously, Postecoglou is the manager there at the moment, and I’m not too sure whether he will be there next season.
“But Pochettino has a contract with the United States national team to be there for the World Cup so nothing will happen until after 2026.
“And if the manager does leave this summer, someone else comes in and does well, what are you going to do?”
Tottenham’s underwhelming season in the Premier League has sparked plenty of debate about whether Postecoglou should remain as manager.
The Australian has argued that a negative media agenda against the club is not helping matters and has insisted that he is the right man for the job.
His unwavering commitment to an attacking style of play has been widely criticised, with detractors arguing that he should have been more pragmatic this season.
The lost of star striker Harry Kane to Bayern Munich was not felt too greatly last season but has undoubtedly had an impact this time around.
Tottenham have failed to adequately replace the England captain, with Dominic Solanke struggling to reproduce the goalscoring form he showed for Bournemouth last term.
Heung-min Son has also underperformed without Kane alongside him, triggering talk that Tottenham may decide to move him on during the summer transfer window.
Keane believes Son still has what it takes to be a standout performer for Tottenham but is unsure whether Postecoglou truly rates him.
“Son has had a difficult season, although I think that goes for the whole team,” Keane added. “He’s definitely missing Kane, as the two of them bounced off each other very well and that was always going to be a huge change for Sonny. He hasn’t been playing as often as he would like, he’s lacking a little bit of confidence, but he’s still a top, top player.
“I hope he won’t leave in the summer because he’s been an incredible player for Spurs, but there comes a stage with every player where the fans might want to see something different.
“It seems to me that maybe he and the manager don’t have the relationship that he had with other managers before, because he takes him off a lot and drops him.”
