Mauricio Pochettino Refuses to Rule Out Premier League Return

Pochettino has opened the door to a return to the Premier League, insisting that he is refusing to close any doors as he considers his future. He has said he would ‘love to be involved in the game’ again, but is prepared to wait a little longer for the ‘right project’.

Pochettino has been out of work as a manager since he was sacked by Tottenham last November. He was ambitiously linked with Newcastle during the summer while the Magpies were in the process of an ultimately failed takeover bid, and remains linked with Manchester United.

Real Madrid are another possible option for Pochettino if pressure continues to grow on Zinedine Zidane and he was named in a recent Spanish report as one of the two most viable options to replace the Frenchman for Los Blancos, alongside club legend Raul.

Speaking as a guest pundit on Sky Sports, the 48-year-old Argentine said he didn’t know if his next job would be back in the Premier League but didn’t rule it out.

“I'm not going to close any door and I am waiting to feel what is the right project for us, which is the right way to take,” he explained.

“My energy is full. I'd love to be involved in the game but at the same time I need to understand that you need to wait [for the right moment]. You need to wait for the right project and for sure football is going to bring what football wants and we need to be open and to accept or not.”

Despite it being almost 12 months since he was dismissed by Spurs, Pochettino insists it does not feel like he has been out of the game for a year because of everything that has happened in the world during that time and the lengthy pause last season.

If anything, what football has had to become to survive in the coronavirus pandemic makes him feel better about not being involved in recent months.

“I don't feel it is one year that I'm not working,” he said. “Maybe because of the last seven, eight months. With no fans in the stadium, it's like it's not football. We are watching a similar game but it's not the passion there, it's not the emotion there, and that sometimes [consoles] you.”

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