Mauricio Pochettino (53), the head coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team, expressed a desire to someday return to Tottenham Hotspur.
Pochettino, who is from Argentina, noted in an interview with the British media outlet TalkSport on the 14th (Korea time), "I have thought about wanting to return since the day I left Tottenham," revealing a positive stance on the possibility of a comeback.
Pochettino took charge of Tottenham after leaving Southampton in 2014. During his five and a half years leading the team until his dismissal in November 2019, he contested for the upper ranks of the Premier League. He recorded second and third place finishes in the Premier League during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons, respectively, and in the 2018-2019 season, he achieved the best results in the club's history by reaching the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final (then finishing as runners-up).
In the summer of 2015, a year after he took the helm at Tottenham, Son Heung-min (33) joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. Under Pochettino's guidance, Son struggled to adapt in his first season but established himself as a key striker from the 2016-2017 season, scoring double-digit goals. Notably, he contributed significantly to the team's advance to the final by scoring multiple goals against Manchester City in the UCL quarterfinals in the 2018-2019 season.
In this interview, Pochettino said, "I felt like there were unfinished matters when I left Tottenham. That's why I wanted to come back," adding, "Tottenham has always been a special club to me, and if given the opportunity, I would like to conclude things in a better way."
Currently, Pochettino serves as the head coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team. He has had a stable start since his appointment in September of last year, achieving five wins in six games.
The U.S. team, under his leadership, is set to face Panama in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League on March 20.
Meanwhile, Pochettino has experience managing in the Premier League with Southampton (2013-2014), Tottenham (2014-2019), and Chelsea (2023-2024). He has also been linked multiple times to the head coach position at Manchester United. TalkSport questioned him about this, but Pochettino avoided making specific comments, joking instead.
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