Aston Villa made an offer to Mauricio Pochettino before hiring Unai Emery – now, the Argentine is interested in replacing Gareth Southgate for England.
That was according to the 50-year-old himself, who told The Athletic that he would “of course” consider taking over the Three Lions if Southgate leaves the role vacant.
Pochettino interested in England job
Well, the South American spent almost a decade in England across spells at Southampton and Tottenham, so he is more than familiar with football on these shores.
Speaking to The Athletic, Pochettino said: “Of course, my relationship with England has always been very good. We have a very good relationship with the academies, trying to develop young players for the national team. I feel so comfortable here. I am open to everything.”
It was the Telegraph who claimed that the Argentine rejected an offer from Aston Villa before the Villans decided to focus their attention on Emery, so for whatever reason, that project did not interest him.
However, a job on the international scene may be more intriguing.
Pochettino has never managed a national team, with his four roles in management all coming in club football at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.
Pochettino could take over England soon
According to a separate story from the Telegraph, there is a growing feeling that Southgate will step down from his role as England boss after the World Cup in Qatar, no matter how well his team perform.
If that turns out to be true, then we could see Pochettino take the reins sooner rather than later.
The South American is currently unemployed after being sacked by PSG back in June, so the Football Association would not need to prise him away from a contract if they did decide to make an approach.
It would certainly be interesting to see Pochettino in charge of England, where he formed strong relationships with the likes of Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker at Tottenham – only time will tell what happens.
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