Daniel Levy has admitted that he wants Mauricio Pochettino to stay with Spurs for another 10 to 15 years.
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has admitted to the Daily Mail that he wants to see manager Mauricio Pochettino become ‘the Sir Alex Ferguson of Spurs’.
Levy and Spurs decided in the summer of 2014 that Tim Sherwood wasn’t the man to take the club forward in the long term, despite some strong results after taking over from Andre Villas-Boas – and Levy called on Pochettino.
The Argentinian had spent just over a year in charge of Southampton, winning just over 38% of his games with the Saints as he impressed on the South Coast despite his appointment being criticised in January 2013.
Since taking over Spurs, Pochettino has established himself as one of the top managers in the world, turning Tottenham from a team hoping to be in the top six to a team with genuine title aspirations.
The 45-year-old now has third and second-placed finishes in the last two seasons, and he has helped oversee a youth movement in North London, nurturing talents such as Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Harry Kane.
Spurs appear to have a bright future ahead of them under Pochettino, but given the tight financial restrictions under chairman Daniel Levy, Spurs may struggle to keep their squad together – and may also face a fight to retain Pochettino.
Now, chairman Levy has told the Daily Mail that the statistics from last season show that Spurs can’t really improve their first team, but can only aim to improve their squad, justifying the club’s transfer approach.
Levy added that he wants Pochettino to stay for another 15 years with Spurs, becoming the club’s very own Sir Alex Ferguson in the process – and whilst he knows other clubs will want Pochettino, the Argentinian would rather be ‘the main guy’ with Spurs than just a guy at Real Madrid.
“If you look at some stats, particularly for the 2016–17 season — the best defensive record, scored more goals than any other team, best goal difference in our history, youngest squad in the Premier League — you realise we can only aim to improve the squad overall,” said Levy. “I have always said to him that I want him to be a partner, that when he signed a contract for five years — which was a massive commitment for the club — it was on the basis that we were really going to commit to each other. I want Mauricio to be the Sir Alex Ferguson of Tottenham Hotspur and he has the most fantastic opportunity to be that. I have confidence that he can do it. We’re so aligned in where we want to be.”
“I’d be surprised if there wasn’t interest in Mauricio from other clubs because it means we are doing well. He’s never given me any indication that he’d like to leave. He loves the project and he once sent me a picture of Bill Nicholson — our most famous manager from years ago — holding the fronts of the gates of the stadium. They are very historic gates and we’re keeping them at the new stadium. I replied, ‘One day it is going to be you,’ because that really is what I aspire to. I would love nothing more than Mauricio still to be our manager in 10 to 15 years’ time.”
“To really build success you need time, longevity. It’s easy to go and become a manager at Real Madrid, for instance. It’s a fantastic club, don’t get me wrong, but winning at Tottenham Hotspur is far greater than winning at Real Madrid — and he agrees. Mauricio wants this sense of achievement, this recognition, to be the main guy. And at this club, he can be the main guy. At some other clubs, the president is the main guy but that’s not how it is here. I’m so low key, I want him to be the main guy,” he added.
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