Mauricio Pochettino now increasingly likely to take over at Tottenham amid new developments
Odds on Mauricio Pochettino returning to Tottenham have been slashed yet again.
Igor Tudor suffered defeat against Arsenal in his first game in charge of the Lilywhites, with it still looking unlikely that he will be in charge at the end of the season.
Instead, the idea of Pochettino returning to North London has been floating around for the past few months, with the Argentine having previously showcased a willingness to come back,
As of 8 February, the odds on his return were as low as 2/1, with major bookmakers now offering odds of 5/4 for him to be Tottenham manager for the new campaign, as of 25 February.
Roberto De Zerbi is second-favourite at 5/2, with Tudor priced at 13/2 to keep his job beyond the current campaign.
- Read more: Igor Tudor’s contract details revealed and what it means for Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham return
Would Mauricio Pochettino return be a good thing for Spurs?
For Spurs? Yes. For Pochettino? No.
Tottenham are in desperate need of someone with experience of managing top clubs to come in and change their fortunes, and Pochettino fits the bill perfectly.
Not only did he do a fine job with Tottenham the first time around, but he has gained plenty of expertience of working at clubs with high expectations throughout his career, which is something Thomas Frank lacked.
However, for his sake, a return would make little sense.
Despite failing at Chelsea, his stock is still incredibly high, and he would have many offers in the summer that would mean he wouldn’t have to join a side that has been battling relegation for two years.
The issues in North London can’t be fixed overnight, and Pochettino would risk ruining his reputation by making a return.
Roberto De Zerbi could be one to keep an eye on
While Pochettino is the clear favourite for the job next season, De Zerbi’s immediate availability could be enticing to Tottenham.
But again, the same issues would emerge as the ones that saw Frank’s tenure end in disaster, given the fact that his only spell in the Premier League came with Brighton.
And the relevance behind that point is that the Seagulls are another club with relatively low expectations, and certainly a lot less pressure to deliver success immediately.
It would be a similar scenario to the one that faced him at Marseille, where he won 12 league games from 21, with an average of 1.86 points per game.
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