Newcastle United are set for a bright new era – could the Premier League’s sleeping giants make Mauricio Pochettino their first marquee arrival?
Newcastle United hero Lee Clark believes that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino would be the ideal candidate to guide The Magpies into an exciting new era, speaking to talkSPORT (20 April, 1pm).
It’s an exciting time to be a Newcastle fan – and it’s fair to say we haven’t said that all too often over the last ten years or so.
The deeply unpopular Mike Ashley is heading for the exit and, according to The Mail, Saudi prince Mohammed Bin Salman will be stepping into the void to the tune of £300 million.
With £2.4 billion burning a hole in Bin Salman’s back pocket, it’s no wonder The Magpies have already been linked with eye-catching summer swoops for the likes of Arturo Vidal and Antoine Griezmann.
But if there is one man who might end up rueing Ashley’s exit, it’s he who was handed the reigns last summer when Rafa Benitez rode off into the sunset, taking Salomon Rondon with him. With proven, top-level managers like Pochettino available, the divisive Steve Bruce could see his dream job soon turn into a personal nightmare.
“You look back at what (Pochettino) has done, he’d be an outstanding shout for the club without a doubt,” Clark says of a coach who transformed Tottenham into title challengers and Champions League finalists in five years of almost unprecedented success.
“He has worked in the Premier League before so that box is ticked. He’d be a brilliant shout.”
A lack of backing from chairman Daniel Levy was one of the key reasons why things unravelled for Pochettino at Tottenham but it seems that finances would not be a problem at Newcastle.
Maybe a truly elite-level coach could be tempted by those famous black and white stripes after all.
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