Back off Chelsea: Tottenham set to offer Pochettino an improved contract

The 2015-16 Premier League season has been the Season of Contract Extensions for Tottenham Hotspur, with a plethora of Spurs players agreeing to new deals. Those players have included Harry Kane, Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Luke McGee, and Alex Pritchard. Now it looks as though the club is turning its attention to the gaffer.

The Daily Mirror reports that Spurs are set to offer Mauricio Pochettino a new contract extension that will reward him for the good work he has done since his appointment in May of 2014. Pochettino originally signed a five year deal that the Mirror reports earns him about £3.5m/year; the new deal will have his wages "increased significantly."

A new deal would certainly be a just reward for the excellent work Pochettino has done since taking over as manager, but it would also keep the wolves at bay: Poche has been linked via the English media to both the Manchester United and Chelsea job vacancies, and is becoming a hot commodity in the managerial transfer merry-go-round.

Poche, to his credit, has said all the right things when asked about his links to various high profile jobs, implying that he has no plans to move away from North London:

"No I don't mind,. We are supposed to receive the rumours and we are in a media that all is about rumours. But I don't care about that.'

‘It's the same with any rumours about players, there's a lot of names in the media now. My focus is here, to try for success at Tottenham and to work hard.

‘I always work for the present and the future. I'm very happy here. We've created after 18 months a very good group, with a strong basis for success in the future and I'm very happy. My job is to be focused, not to hear rumours.

‘The most important thing is that I'm focused on my job.'

Spurs are in the driver's seat at the moment for a Champions League position and are still ostensibly in the title race along with Leicester, Arsenal, and Manchester City. Pochettino has built a strong side that is one of the youngest in the Premier League, and has earned the loyalty of his squad. He's in an excellent position with Tottenham at the moment, and it's unclear whether he would be seriously swayed by the prospect of a move to United or Chelsea, with gobs of money and the intense pressures to succeed immediately.

It would be fantastic if Spurs are serious about extending Pochettino's contract. There's no question that he's gotten the most out of his young squad so far this season and has been canny with his incoming (and outgoing) transfer deals. Signing a new contract would not only signal to other clubs that he's serious about what he's building at Tottenham Hotspur, but would also instantly endear him to Spurs fans who are skittish about him leaving for greener pastures. Hopefully this is an extension that can be finalized as soon as possible.