Aston Villa’s alleged pursuit of former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino feels all the more intriguing when you consider that the Premier League strugglers tried to sign one of his former players during the final day of the summer transfer window.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa came calling for Lucas Moura on September 1st.
Now, was he a target for Steven Gerrard, or a player identified by the club’s recruitment team? Did Villa know, at the time, that Pochettino would be their first choice should Gerrard’s position become untenable? Was Moura supposed to be an early welcome gift?
Was Aston Villa’s pursuit of Lucas Moura a sign of things to come? Or merely a strange coincidence? With so-much uncertain at Villa Park right now – Gerrard’s future up in the air and replacements reportedly being sounded out – there are certainly more questions than answers (The Telegraph).
What cannot be disputed, however, is how Pochettino feels about Lucas Moura; a man who’s iconic hat-trick against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals sent tears cascading down the Argentine’s cheeks.
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“Superhero Moura! It was an unbelievable hat-trick. He deserves it. He’s a great guy,” an emotional and chocked-up Pochettino beamed following that famous night in Amsterdam.
The former PSG boss had previously hailed Tottenham’s chief scout Steve Hitchen for bringing the Brazilian to North London in the first place too.
“I think I need to say well done. There are always people who are working behind (the scenes),” Pochettino said, via The Mail. “It was a fantastic job because Lucas deserves a lot of credit.”
This is not to say, however, that manager and player never had their difficulties. Lucas was arguably more effective and consistent under Jose Mourinho than he was under Pochettino. And Lucas was certainly not overjoyed about the Pochettino fielding him as a ‘false nine’ on occasions.
But if the Spurs legend does return to the Premier League with Aston Villa – after leaving Tottenham under a cloud and being overlooked by Manchester United – whether or not the Midland giants renew their interest in Lucas Moura in January could shed some light on how long Pochettino has been in the pipeline.
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