Mauricio Pochettino reportedly ‘wants to return’ to Tottenham Hotspur if the Premier League side let Antonio Conte leave in the coming months.
Conte is out of contract at the end of this season and he is yet to commit his future to Spurs.
The ex-Chelsea boss did a great job last term as he guided Tottenham Hotspur to a top four finish in the Premier League.
But the head coach and his team have come under fire this season as a result of several poor results. The club’s supporters hoped Conte could help them win a trophy this term but they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup prematurely.
They are also 1-0 down on aggregate heading into Wednesday night’s Champions League last-16 second leg against AC Milan.
Spurs are in the top four currently. But they will be overtaken by Liverpool and Newcastle if their rivals make the most of their games in hand.
With Conte’s future uncertain, Tottenham are looking to identify his replacement and they are being linked with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi.
The Times are now reporting that ex-Spurs boss Pochettino ‘wants to return’ to the club if they are left without a manager heading into next season.
Pochettino left Tottenham at the start of the 2019/20 campaign. His exit came just a couple of months after he got them to their first Champions League final.
He has since had a spell at PSG but he was let go at the end of last season after they suffered a disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of Man City.
The report from The Times adds that Pochettino is ‘being considered’ as a replacement for Conte.
The current head coach is ‘increasingly likely to return to Italy at — or before — the end of the season’. It is noted that he could leave before the summer if Tottenham are knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan.
It is noted that there is ‘negativity stemming from the pragmatic style adopted’ by Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho. But it is believed that Pochettino ‘would change that’.
Daniel Levy would be in favour of Pochettino returning but managing director Fabio Paratici’s position is ‘less clear’. The 51-year-old being re-appointed would ‘provoke an internal power struggle over the tactical system’.
The report adds: ‘Paratici’s two managerial appointments have favoured a wingback system, while Pochettino tended to play a back four.
‘He would probably be among the names under consideration by Real Madrid if Carlo Ancelotti leaves this summer, as would Thomas Tuchel, who may also be of interest to Tottenham.’
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