Tottenham ready to offer Mauricio Pochettino improved deal

Tottenham Hotspur are flying in the Premier League and Spurs are reportedly ready to lock down their manager for the foreseeable future. Respected football journalist Duncan Castles, quoting "a source close to the Argentine," says that Spurs have offered Poche an improved deal to keep him at Tottenham longer than his initial five-year contract that he signed in 2014.

Rumors about Mauricio Pochettino's contract have been floating around since January, when we wrote about it amidst rumors that both Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in poaching him. Castles' report suggests that the Chelsea rumors were at least marginally accurate, with Poche willing to at least entertain the notion. Reports have since emerged that Chelsea has tapped Antonio Conte to be their next manager.

Pochettino's success in guiding a young Tottenham side into serious contention for the Premier League title and almost certain Champions League qualification had led Chelsea to open direct discussions over him becoming their manager this summer. Pochettino, who harbors concerns over the time required to build a squad capable of meeting Roman Abramovich's expectations on silverware, style and the aggressive promotion of academy players, had asked Chelsea to give him until the end of the season to make a decision on the position.

– Duncan Castles, One World Sports

Publicly, however, Poche has been cagy about his future, implying in a post-Aston Villa interview with Sky Sports that now is not the time to talk about his contract.

"[My future] is not important. We need to fight every day and arrive at the end of the season in good condition.

"The club and the supporters deserve us to do our job. The most important thing is to keep working hard.

"I have three years left on my contract so it is not a big problem. I'm enjoying it a lot, we're in a very good position with the team and the supporters."

– Sky Sports

Castles' reporting is interesting, as it suggests that Pochettino did not reject Chelsea out of hand. It does address the idea that he was uncomfortable with the amount of flexibility and time he would have to implement his system, however. Roman Abramovic is not known for being a patient man, and the pressure to win immediately at Chelsea is immense. Poche's tactical system requires time, aggressive buy-in from existing players, and a steady progression of young talent, and it's not clear he would have been given all of those at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea interest is a moot point now, but it does highlight that Poche is now on the radar of bigger clubs than Spurs, and that he might consider a switch if the right deal came along. Tottenham is a good fit for Pochettino, so it's a smart play by the club. An improved contract keeps Pochettino happy, and as long as he keeps Spurs winning and playing exciting football, he keeps the fans happy. Based on current evidence, there's no reason to think that wouldn't change anytime soon.