Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has actually kept the door potentially open to taking over at Barcelona, after having apparently previously ruled out ever coaching the Blaugrana.
Pochettino, sacked as Tottenham boss in November, has been on garden leave without a job since and has been enjoying his sabbatical away from the game, with the Argentine patiently waiting for the right, opportune route back into the game that suits his ambitions. He was recently linked with taking over at Newcastle United before their Saudi takeover collapsed and several clubs in Italy are also said to be keen to secure his proven services as one of the most accomplished coaches in the world.
Barcelona would appear to be an excellent fit for Pochettino, especially amid their current troubles. Pochettino was himself a former Espanyol player and manager and in 2017, after rumours of taking over at the Nou Camp circulated, the Argentine emphatically ruled out ever taking over at Barcelona. As reported then by The Guardian, he compared it to taking over at Arsenal after coaching Tottenham, labelling it ‘impossible’.
However, Pochettino seems to have backtracked on those statements, speaking to El Pais over the weekend.
“I was in Barcelona that year and I met (Barcelona president, Josep Maria) Bartomeu in a bar,” the Argentine explained.
“We greeted each other because we were taking the children to the same school and we were talking for five minutes. That generated a rumor that set off alarms because there were more teams that wanted us, and when they asked me I wanted to settle it drastically.
“I did not want to disrespect Barcelona. I could have said things differently. Espanyol has made a name for me. But I’m not arrogant and I didn’t like making a statement like that. Maybe now I wouldn’t because in life you never know what will happen.”
Pochettino would undoubtedly be ideal for Barcelona, who are struggling to find their best football under the current episode of management under Quique Setien. Although Bartomeu has said that it would be a matter of time before Xavi Hernandes takes over as coach, dollar for dollar, Poch is by far way ahead of the former celebrated Barca player who unfortunately has limited experience both as coach and manager, and could be wading way out of his depths in trying to manage a team like Barcelona.
Hopefully the news that Pochettino has now opened the door to the move will be a huge boost to both the Barcelona management and the fans. Let’s wait and see if Messi reads anything positive into this opportunity.
Time will tell if Barcelona do end up making another move for Pochettino.