Why Tottenham were never going to re-hire Mauricio Pochettino this summer

After Mauricio Pochettino ruled himself out of the Tottenham job, it has been revealed that Spurs would have had to do something unprecedented in order to bring the Argentine through the door in the first place.

According to various reports, Tottenham are now optimistic about agreeing on a deal for Thomas Frank, who has emerged as the clear front-runner to replace Ange Postecoglou.

However, with that deal not yet finalised, speculation is continuing to circulate about the other candidates on the Lilywhites’ wishlist.

It was reported on Saturday that Mauricio Pochettino was one of the names high on Tottenham’s wishlist even though the Argentine is contracted to the United States national team.

Tottenham would have had to pay a historic fee to appoint Mauricio Pochettino

BBC Sport have now confirmed that Pochettino was indeed one of the names on Tottenham’s radar as they go in search of Postecoglou’s replacement.

It has been six years since the 53-year-old was sacked by Tottenham, but he remains a popular figure with the club’s fan base. However, the outlet says that a move for the Argentine came with a number of obstacles for Daniel Levy.

One of the main reasons is that it would have required a compensation package described as one of the “biggest in football history” for him to be released from his contract with the United States.

Pochettino rules himself out of the Spurs job for now

While this update does not put a figure on the compensation, it was previously reported that Pochettino is protected by a release clause of $25m (£19.3m).

That would be a monumental fee to pay for a manager, with the figure being double the £10m it would take to sign Frank (Guardian).

However, if Levy and Spurs were convinced that Pochettino is the right man to spearhead the project, it is a small price to pay, especially considering the amount clubs stand to earn from Champions League qualification.

Whatever the case, it appears Tottenham will have to wait a little longer for a reunion as Mauricio Pochettino ruled himself out of the running for the Spurs job this weekend.

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