Bayern Munich contacted Pochettino about replacing Jupp Heynckes

Most of our Mauricio Pochettino-related angst has come in the form of worrying that he might be poached by Real Madrid or PSG, the two highest profile football clubs that are likely to be conducting a manager search this summer.

But there could be a gigantic Pochettino-shaped hole in Munich that we should pay attention to as well. Sport Bild has reported that Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has recommended Mauricio Pochettino to owner Uli Hoeneß and CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as a replacement for Jupp Heynckes, and that contact has been made between Bayern and Tottenham Hotspur’s manager.

AIUGH! Panic!

Well, maybe, but probably not. There’s a couple of things working against Poch abandoning Spurs for Germany. First, there once again doesn’t seem to be any indication that Pochettino actually wants to leave. Second, there’s apparently a long-standing position taken by the Bayern board that the manager needs to be able to speak German, something Pochettino emphatically does not do.

Finally, there’s the elephant in the room: it would take a significant amount of money to pry Poch away from Spurs, with some reports suggesting it would take at least £10m in compensation to Spurs to get him. And that’s only if Pochettino wants to go and Daniel Levy is willing to even entertain the idea. Pochettino is on a contract through 2021, and Spurs hold all the cards. It’s a pretty good situation to be in!

Everybody loves Pochettino right now and for good reason -- he’s an excellent manager and has turned Spurs into one of the elite clubs of Europe. In a sense, this is just a slightly modified version of the rumors we’ve already heard about Madrid and PSG. Nothing to do but wait and see what happens, but as of right now I’m not especially worried.