PSG shortlists Pochettino as replacement for Unai Emery

Continuing this morning’s theme of “Tottenham Hotspur can’t have nice things,” there are fresh rumors concerning Mauricio Pochettino’s future, and predictably they involve him potentially leaving the club for greener pastures.

According to French outlet RMC (via Get French Football News), PSG are preparing for life after Unai Emery now that they have also crashed out of the Champions League. They’re actually considering firing him now, and appointing a caretaker manager until they can make a big splashy signing this summer. Pursuant to that, they have prepared a “wish list” of five managers who could replace Emery at the Parc des Princes next season.

Guess who tops that list?

In addition to Pochettino, the RMC report lists Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola (lol), Carlo Ancelotti, and Antonio Conte, assuming Conte does the expected thing and resigns or is fired at the end of the season.

Poch is also linked to the probably-soon-to-be-vacant job at Real Madrid, but if I’m honest with myself, the prospects of PSG coming in for Poch frightens me more than Madrid. Both are huge jobs with huge paychecks, and while both are pressure-cookers it feels like Pochettino would have a better chance to implement his tactics and style at PSG.

Moreover, Poch is a former PSG player, and while there aren’t any people still at the club from his playing days he loves Paris and is on the record in saying that PSG is one of the clubs he’d like to manage at some point during his career (along with Newell’s Old Boys).

The only way that Pochettino leaves Spurs this summer before the new stadium, etc. is if he feels like he’s ready for a change, or if he’s no longer committed to “the Tottenham project.” I suspect that he still has enormous affection for this group of Spurs players and feels loyal to this club, so I’m not worried quite yet.

But manager moves aren’t like player transfers. If Poch decides he wants a switch to manage Neymar and Co. in Paris, there probably isn’t much that Spurs can do to stop it. Get ready for a potentially long and brutal summer of speculation.