Pochettino demands his wages are doubled AND a £100m war chest
MAURICIO Pochettino will seek to become one of England’s best-paid bosses — and ask for a minimum £100million transfer budget — when he holds crunch talks with chairman Daniel Levy this week.
The Tottenham manager cast uncertainty over his future on Sunday by suggesting his position depends on the level of investment the board are willing to inject to improve the team.
This week’s discussions will centre on the amount of money available for new players and the control Pochettino, 46, will have over Spurs’ recruitment. There will also be talks about a new contract for the Argentine.
Pochettino’s deal, worth £5.5m a year, expires in 2021. Spurs are keen to extend that agreement, given the manager’s standing as one of the best young managers in Europe.
And he wants a pay rise that recognises his part in leading Spurs to three straight top-three finishes in the Premier League.
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho earn around £15m, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool salary is about £7m, while the departing Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte — who finished outside the top four at Arsenal and Chelsea respectively — are on around £9m.
And while Pochettino knows Spurs cannot match the cash on offer in Manchester, he wants a package similar to Conte’s. Chelsea supremo Marina Granovskaia views Pochettino as the perfect candidate to replace Conte.
A switch across London is incredibly unlikely, but Chelsea’s interest in Pochettino could be in the manager’s interest when it comes to negotiating his pay rise.
Pochettino wants at least £100m to reinvigorate Tottenham’s squad. Spurs have a reputation for being creative in the market and have enjoyed success with that model — Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier, Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Son Heung-min having been signed for relatively modest fees.
However, there have also been costly failures: Vincent Janssen, Fernando Llorente, Georges g N’Koudou and Moussa Sissoko. ssoko. And Pochettino will target proven roven stars capable of going straight ight into his starting XI.
United striker Anthony y Martial, Crystal Palace e winger Wilfried Zaha and Fulham sensation Ryan Sessegnon are among the players he has identified. Signing Martial or Zaha would almost certainly break the club’s transfer r record and smash their wage e ceiling — which Pochettino no wants raised as he seeks to keep Harry Kane and Alli.
Tottenham hope to bringing in funds by off-loading Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Mousa Dembele, Llorente and Sissoko.