Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Keith Wyness

Sat 21 March 2026 7:10, UK

Tottenham Hotspur shouldn’t expect Mauricio Pochettino to consider returning to the club until after this summer’s World Cup.

That is according to former Everton, Aston Villa and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, who believes Spurs may need to act more quickly to stay in the Premier League.

Despite claiming an invaluable 1-1 draw with Liverpool last time out, courtesy of Richarlison’s 90th-minute equaliser, they are just one point above the relegation zone.

Igor Tudor remains under severe pressure, having suffered four consecutive defeats before the stalemate at Anfield, and Pochettino is among the favourites to replace him.

Mauricio Pochettino could miss out on Spurs job

Roberto De Zerbi is also a contender, and he is available for work immediately after unceremoniously leaving Ligue 1 club Marseille in February.

Wyness, who now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, believes the hot-headed Italian could take charge in the short term before then staying on a longer-term deal.

However, that could see Pochettino, a cult hero in N17 after guiding Spurs to the Champions League final during his five-year stint, miss out on the job altogether.

“I think Pochettino wouldn’t be going anywhere until after the World Cup and Spurs’ need would be more urgent than that,” Wyness exclusively told Tottenham News.

“De Zerbi’s the only one that’s got any long-term possibility beyond just a caretaker manager. The Robbie Keanes and the whole field of candidates doesn’t seem to work for me.

“So it’s either going to be Tudor staying to the end of the season, if they manage to stay up and then will they wait for Pochettino? Possibly. Or De Zerbi at that time.

“So I think it’s coming down to those sort of names in my view. But look, they’re in a difficult position. It really is a tough one. And I think it’s at this stage that no manager can produce magic to try and do what they’re doing.

“But they did what they did on Sunday, and that’s the best that fans can expect at the moment, to show some fight.”

Spurs certainly have a conundrum. What is clear, though, is that there are no guarantees Tudor can keep them in the Premier League, even after the fightback on Merseyside.

Pochettino is worth waiting for

An emotional return for Pochettino makes perfect sense, and it would be a fairytale for supporters pining for the 54-year-old’s passion and easy-on-the-eye style of play.

Crucially, Pochettino is open to becoming Tottenham manager again, but there are question marks over whether he would take the job in the Championship.

It’s crucial, therefore, that Spurs stay in the top-flight before making the decision. Tudor has no chance of landing the gig himself, but his players must step up to prove a point.

Pochettino would help heal wounds in the dressing room and restore unity at the club, and tellingly, he has not played down speculation linking him to his former club.

“We’re focused on the World Cup, on the United States,” he told Radiogaceta de los Deportes. “My contract runs until after the World Cup, so after that we’ll see what might happen. Open to everything, right?”

While these comments will be warmly received at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the potential appointment remains at least several months away. For now, there are bigger issues at hand.