The former Tottenham manager was back on stage in London recently and has got people talking about his next move in the coaching world
Real Madrid may have missed their chance to land Mauricio Pochettino, Gus Poyet has said after lining up alongside the former Tottenham manager at the launch of LaLiga TV – a platform which will push Spanish top-flight action back to a UK audience.
The Blancos went back to their former head coach Zinedine Zidane when replacing Santiago Solari, which leaves Pochettino looking for work elsewhere and generating talk of interest from the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Pochettino was quick to leave the building via an emergency exit following a Q&A session back East London in which he was quizzed on his future and stated that he would be interested in La Liga and Premier League posts.
Poyet cannot see Pochettino doing more punditry work alongside him for long, with offers expected to flood in from top clubs.
“If that was the only option [Madrid] then he will have to wait but I don’t think he will wait,” said Poyet.
“As soon as one of the big clubs lose their manager, then Mauricio will be there or thereabouts. The first name? Perhaps, along with [Massimiliano] Allegri. They are the top two for the next big job.
“I expect Mauricio to go to a top, top club. After what he has done during his spell at Tottenham, he deserves to get an ever better job. Sometimes you need that timing though, I remember a few months ago they were talking about Real Madrid when Zidane left and now he is back.
“From the outside, we didn’t talk too much with Mauricio, but something was not working. I mean the people at the club know. The only thing I can say that from the board, there was a change of direction completely. They went from a manager who creates stuff through the years to a manager who wins trophies.
“That is the way I understand the situation from the outside. I suppose every Spurs fan now expects Jose Mourinho to deliver trophies.”
Poyet represented both Chelsea and Spurs in his Premier League playing days and went back to White Hart Lane to become assistant manager to Juande Ramos.
The Uruguayan continues to live in London and was at the club’s new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup third round.
Giovani Lo Celso was among the goals for Mourinho’s side in that contest.
The on-loan Real Betis midfielder has a £60 million ($78m) purchase obligation in the deal which brought him to England and Poyet thinks the Argentine will come good after struggling in his first six months at the club.
“He is a number 10, he played a different role [against Boro] because Christian Eriksen was playing,” Poyet began. “Sometimes to get the pace of the game from Spain and Betis to England on a Tuesday night in the rain is difficult.
“The idea to play him wide wasn’t bad to give him time to adapt, but in the future I can see him playing in a free role around the striker. He has an incredible left foot. Today, he probably can’t move. He finished the game really stiff and he couldn’t walk off the pitch but that’s England. Welcome to England.
“He is going to be great. He has all the qualities. He was that type of player that deserved Paris Saint-Germain and Betis were lucky to have a player of his qualities. Now, he is here and there’s plenty to come.”
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