05 November 2023 , 19:30
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For all of the criticism he faces, Daniel Levy's reasoning for opting against re-hiring Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham manager are certainly reasonable.
Pochettino spent five years in north London as Spurs boss before he was sacked in late 2019 and swiftly replaced by Jose Mourinho. Despite guiding the club to their first-ever Champions League final just five months prior, the Argentine was relieved of his duties after a woeful start to the 2019/20 season.
After some time off, Pochettino took the reins at Paris Saint-Germain but drastically underwhelmed and left his post in the French capital after 17 months in charge. He parted ways with the Parisians in July 2022, meaning that by the time Antonio Conte was sacked as Spurs boss in March 2023, Pochettino was out of work and available.
However, Levy opted to let Ryan Mason see out the remainder of the season as interim boss. That didn't stop relentless speculation linking Pochettino with a return to the Spurs dug-out, to many it was seen as the perfect appointment.
The Argentine, still beloved by the Spurs faithful, returns to the club older and wiser with the aim of finally ending their wait for silverware. However, chairman Levy was not of that same school of thought and decided not to pursue Pochettino for a second stint.
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The three reasons behind that decision have since become clear. The first being that Levy initially wanted to hire a young, up-and-coming project manager. He didn't exactly stick to his word on that one, hiring Ange Postecoglou instead - seven years Pochettino's senior.
That's not to say Postecoglou isn't in it for the long haul, the early signs are promising, with the Australian already forming a bond with the Spurs faithful and saying all the right things to get them on side. Levy was also of the belief that looking into the past for future solutions very rarely works in elite-level sports management.
There are very few managers who have returned to the same club for a second spell and produced the goods twice, something that clearly played on Levy's mind. The third reason was simply that the Spurs chief did not want to be swayed into making an appointment based on sentiment alone.
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Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea face Tottenham on Monday in what will be his first return to north London since his Spurs sacking (Getty Images)While Pochettino's return initially would have inspired adoration from fans, it could turn sour just like the first time around and Spurs would have wasted precious time. Instead, as mentioned they opted for Postecoglou.
Pochettino meanwhile, did return to London. Only this time to take charge of Spurs' capital rivals Chelsea, burning plenty of his north London bridges in the process. Monday night marks the first time the 51-year-old will return to his old stomping ground and it remains to be seen what kind of reception he'll get.
Ahead of the contest, Postecoglou praised one of his predecessors, claiming: "For a lot of us in our roles, that’s our ultimate goal and ambition: it is that we make an impact. It was an undeniable impact. He almost took the club to the ultimate summit of the Champions League and got close to the league."