Former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is inspired by a return to Spurs “one day” due to a very “good relationship” with the club chairman Daniel Levy.
According to Sky Sports, a more enthusiastic Pochettino, who is preparing his USA side to take on Panama in the CONCACAF semi-finals ahead of next year’s World Cup, which is co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, looked “more relaxed and happy” as he arrived for his interview – a very different personality from the man he was a few weeks before leaving Chelsea.
The Argentine who guided Chelsea to a League Cup Final, the FA Cup semi-finals and a sixth-placed finish to gain a place in the Europa Conference League qualification in his rather short stay at Stamford Bridge looked to have lost a bit of steam during his time with a the Blue side of London, making him an unpopular figure amongst the pack.
In a statement, he indicates the reason for the mutual departure between him and the new owners of Chelsea, and why he thinks it was good for both sides.
” I think always when something doesn’t work it’s better to stop and to look at different things and I think it was the best decision for both side, said Pochettino.
“Yes, I think both sides are happy to split and then to be open to see different options, and different options appear,” he further says.
12 months after leaving Premier League side Chelsea, the former PSG manager finds himself as the national team coach of the USA, with the World Cup 2026 beaconing down the line.
Qualifying as a co-host nation will be the main focus – for him, this serves as a good opportunity to move away from Club Football and venture into new territory with a national team.
Pochettino spent five years as Tottenham’s manager between 2014-2019, and built a very strong relationship with Daniel Levy, both on and off the pitch.
How time flies, six years after leaving the White Heart Lane, now Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Poch still holds Levy in high regard, on a professional level and on a personal level.
He indicates the many fond memories had together – his close relationship with the chairman, and in response to ever going back to Spurs, this is what he had to say, according to Sky Sports;
“Look, when I left the Club I always remember one interview I said I would like to one day to come back to Tottenham and that is of course,” Pochettino said.
“I am in the USA, I am not going to talk about that, but what I said then still after six years or five years, I still feel in my heart that, yes, I would like one day to come back. We see the timing like Daniel said.”
The USMNT is preparing to play Panama at home on the 20 March 2025 in their Concacaf Nations League semi-finals, and Pochettino will be looking forward to a warm reception from the home fans while grinding out a win to take them to the finals. Pochettino can boost a squad that has a lot of quality and is brimming with confidence at the moment.
A home advantage takes them one step ahead of their visitors. However, the former Spurs manager will be looking forward to taking the USA side further than their best in the quarter-final exit in the World Cup qualifier in 2002.
