Credit: Imago

Parth Jhaveri

Sat 22 March 2025 14:00, UK

Mauricio Pochettino could be months away from returning to Tottenham after the latest development in the US Men’s National team.

After leaving Chelsea in June 2024, Pochettino accepted the managerial role for the US national team in September.

Pochettino’s main goal was to help the USA team achieve a respectable finish in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada.

Since taking over the reins of USA, Pochettino has guided them to five wins and two losses. Their most recent loss came in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals, where they lost 1-0 to Panama and were knocked out of the competition.

The loss to Panama has invited a lot of criticism for Pochettino, with his role under heavy scrutiny by former players like Clint Dempsey.

And FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas has become the latest to lambast USA’s performances under Pochettino.

Pochettino linked with sensational Tottenham return

Pochettino has been linked with a managerial return to Tottenham as pressure continues to mount on Ange Postecoglou.

The North London outfit are 14th in the Premier League table with 34 points, a whopping 15 points away from top four.

While managers like Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva have been linked with the gig at N17, Pochettino has openly said he could return to Tottenham in the future.

Pochettino could indeed make a return to Spurs sooner than expected. With the USA losing against Panama, Lalas spoke about Pochettino on his State of the Union podcast.

He said: “There are two ways that you can look at this, Stu. One, you can take the long approach and you can say, ‘Obviously, nothing really matters until the summer of 2026 (when the U.S. will co-host the FIFA World Cup). And yes, the sky is not falling.’

“Or you can look at it and say, ‘This is unacceptable. This was a lacklustre performance. This was a performance that was devoid of any emotion, any passion, any determination, and any direction. It was rudderless from top to bottom and not just to score the individual performances. This is on the players and this is on Pochettino.'”

Pochettino’s first big test will be in the summer as the USA feature in the Gold Cup and are one of the favourites to win it.

If the USMNT fail to perform well in the Gold Cup under Pochettino, the former PSG manager could be staring at a sack a few months from now.

In case Pochettino is sacked after the Gold Cup, doors could open to a sensational Tottenham return.

Daniel Levy’s ultimatum to Postecoglou

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has delivered an ultimatum to the Australian manager as European football for next season is the bare minimum goal.

With Spurs struggling in 14th place in the league, they are unlikely to make it to European football spots via the league route.

Postecoglou’s only chance to save his job is if he guides the North London side to a UEFA Europa League triumph and qualify for the next season’s Champions League.

With the turbulent performances, the chances of the Lilywhites winning the tournament are low. If the former Celtic manager fails to guide Tottenham to European football for next season, he could face the sack in the summer.

If Pochettino is also out of a job by that time, he could line up a sensational return to Tottenham.