Pochettino says ‘stupid’ to stay with no plan
LONDON: Mauricio Pochettino said he would be ‘stupid’ to stay as Tottenham manager if the club fails to deliver a blueprint for a future which can keep the London club rubbing shoulders with the giants of the game.
Pochettino this week guided Tottenham into the Champions League final and could finish the Premier League season on Sunday as high as third in the table behind Manchester City and Liverpool but ahead of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
His success has come despite any significant forays into the transfer market in recent seasons.
“I am not open to start a new chapter with no plan, with no clear idea, with not being transparent, telling you and telling our fans what next, what is our objective,” said Pochettino who has four years left on his current contract.
“I know very well how this business works. And we know very well that we need to operate in a different way – that doesn’t mean to spend more or less money.
“If we believe that if we operate in the same way that we have operated in the last five years we are going to be every season in the final of the Champions League, and we are going to be every season in the top four and competing against projects like Liverpool or Manchester City or Manchester United, I think we are very naive.
“If you want to expect the same from Liverpool, from Manchester City or Manchester United and Chelsea, and you put the same expectation on Tottenham, and the people expect the same, of course, give me different tools to work.
“If not, I see the people working in the same way, in the future I’m going to be this guy.
I am the most stupid person to work.”
Pochettino said earlier this week that he may be tempted to walk away from the Spurs hot-seat if he delivered the Champions League title this season.
Tottenham will face Liverpool in the final in Madrid on June 2.
“I am open like I said before. I am open to everything,” he added on Friday “Of course I love to work, I love Tottenham, I love to be here every day, I enjoy it a lot, I am so grateful but after five years, I think our effort was massive.
“But the problem is I need to know what we need to achieve or for what we are going to fight and then who is going to assess the tools that we have to achieve what we plan to achieve.” — AFP
I am not open to start a new chapter with no plan, with no clear idea, with not being transparent, telling you and telling our fans what next, what is our objective. — Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham coach
PARIS: Super agent Mino Raiola, who counts Manchester United’s Paul Pogba amongst his clients, had a three-month Italian ban extended to a global sanction, FIFA announced.
“The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has today decided to extend the sanctions imposed by the Italian Football Association (FIGC) on the intermediaries Carmine (Mino) and Vincenzo Raiola to have worldwide effect,” said a FIFA statement.
“Carmine Raiola is suspended for a period of three months and Vincenzo Raiola for a period of two months.” — AFP