Mauricio Pochettino has been tipped for the Newcastle United job, however, this does come with what appears to be a rather large asterisk next to the suggestion. Whilst The Express is running the piece, the actual claim comes from Mick Martin a former Toon captain. Mmmn.
Either way, a revitalized Premier League side will be a great media fit for the Argentine, and one that Daniel Levy will see as an excellent opportunity to foist Mauricio onto someone else’s, anyone else’s payroll.
Now, despite the voracity of this rumour, it’s actually a brilliant fit for Poch himself. Why? Because he genuinely won’t get a better offer in this lifetime. Once we strip away all the selective memory stuff from Tottenham fans, the cold reality is that he’s won nothing since landing in England. All the largely emotional flimflam to one side, under “honours”, the man is wanting.
I feel that no fully-fledged topflight operator like Real Madrid or even a stumbling Manchester United would be prepared to give him a go, which is precisely what it would be.
At Newcastle, Poch would get as close as he’ll ever get to a blank canvas, with a fat enough side serving of autonomy – in an elite division.
Indeed, if Poch cannot command this absolute gift of an opportunity, then he may need to announce that he’s setting up a Llama sanctuary or something, so he can at least give people the impression he’s not sat next to a phone that never rings…