Alan Smith has questioned whether Tottenham Hotspur should go back and re-appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their next manager if they sack Antonio Conte.
The former Arsenal striker stated that Mauricio Pochettino is a ‘fine’ coach and he is probably ‘very keen’ to make a return to Spurs.
In 2019, Spurs sacked Pochettino, only months after he guided the club to the Champions League final, before handing the keys to Jose Mourinho.
That resulted in the 51-year-old heading to Paris and taking the reigns at PSG, before being booted out of that highly-pressured job in July 2022.
Since then, he has been on the beach waiting for the next gig to come along, but could it be a return to where he made a name for himself?
Whilst Alan Smith praised what the former Argentina international did at Hotspur Way, he did remind fans that he did seemingly get his head turned during his time at the club, as he told Sky Sports News.
“It’s an obvious one to say because they enjoyed their best years, for two or three decades, under Pochettino,” said Smith.
“He is a fine coach. He has got a great backroom team. They are very close. He built a really good team spirit.
“But he did lose his focus at Spurs, towards the end. It’s easy to forget that. He maybe had his eye elsewhere, when the Manchester United job was floating around. He did lose focus and interest in the job. It probably had to come to an end.
“Do you got back there? I don’t know. Going back over time of managers going back to clubs, wants the percentage of doing well and not doing well? I am sure Pochettino will be very keen to get back into football. He is probably keen to get back into Spurs.”
POCHETTINO’S RETURN WOULD BE A MISTAKE
It’s understandable why Spurs fans want Pochettino back. If they aren’t going to win the trophies, then they might as well enjoy their football.
That’s exactly what Pochettino provided the supporters during his time at the club.
But all of that just proves Antonio Conte right that they are happy to just keep ticking rather than push for the very top of the table.
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