Share

Real Madrid end pursuit of Pochettino

Cape Town - Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague says Real Madrid have "decided to abandon the possibility" of signing Mauricio Pochettino.

The Champions League winners have been known admirers of the highly-rated Tottenham Hotspur manager.

And following the shock departure of head coach Zinedine Zidane, the Argentine became their number one target.

But Pochettino has since signed a new contract with Spurs and coupled with potentially having extended negotiations with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, has turned Real Madrid President Florentino Perez off the idea of pursuing him any further.

This is good news for Spurs fans, who have seen dramatic improvement in their side under the former Espanyol and Southampton head coach.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Spanish football expert Balague said: "Real could see there was so many positives in signing him, not just the fact he can deal with the stars but how he improves players and how he works with youth players as well.

“But what they had in front of them was the possibility of negotiating with Daniel Levy for perhaps a month, even longer, with no guarantees whatsoever that they were going to get him.

“They know that Levy is a very tough negotiator, with having been in touch with him in recent seasons. They’ve decided to abandon the possibility of signing Mauricio Pochettino.

“That makes life very difficult for Real Madrid because there is not someone you could consider an automatic candidate after Pochettino.

“They will have to look at other possibilities including all the managers that are already in a job with a contract.

“Real started fishing and put the idea out there in the media to see what the reaction was, but straight away they realised there was no clause for Pochettino to leave.

“They leaked to the media with the idea of adding pressure that there was a deal between Levy and Pochettino where he could leave for Madrid, but that was also false and very quickly quashed by Spurs. There really was no door half open.”

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1272 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE