Leeds United would not succeed in luring ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino back to the Premier League even if they offered him a £10 million bonus, Simon Jordan tells talkSPORT (7 February, 11.00am).
When Manchester United overlooked the Argentine in favour of Erik ten Hag last summer, it was difficult to ignore the nagging feeling that Pochettino’s reputation had gone the same way of so many of his former Spurs charges.
If Danny Rose, Dele Alli and co fell into decline following their Tottenham heyday, then you could arguably say the same of Pochettino. The 50-year-old is no longer the first name on everybody’s lips when one of Europe’s top jobs becomes available; Pochettino now mentioned in conjunction with the likes of Aston Villa rather than Man United or Real Madrid.
But, having so recently shared a dressing room with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain, would Pochettino really be willing build from the ground up again, throwing himself headfirst into a relegation battle at the bottom end of the Premier League?
Simon Jordan doesn’t think so.
Would Mauricio Pochettino replace Jesse Marsch at Leeds United?
“I don’t think (Leeds) will get Pochettino,” says the former Crystal Palace owner.
“Not because Leeds aren’t a big club. He won’t be interested in a move to Leeds. I don’t see Pochettino coming to Leeds, even if they offered him £10 million quid to stay up.”
Pochettino was fired after 18 largely underwhelming months in the French capital; failing to put his stamp on a collection of footballing superstars, while losing the 2021 Ligue 1 title to a plucky, overperforming Lille outfit.
The one-time Champions League finalist turned down the chance to take on a similar job at Aston Villa before Christmas, however, and Leeds appear to be setting their sights on more realistic options as they scour the market for Jesse Marsch’s replacement.
Andoni Iraola and former U23 coach Carlos Corberan are reportedly among the early frontrunners.
“Look, I totally agree (that the Corberan links make sense),” ex-Leeds boss Simon Grayson tells talkSPORT.
“What they tried to do (after Bielsa’s exit) was to get somebody who plays in as similar way; high intensity, getting the ball back as quickly as possible. Carlos has done that for many years alongside Bielsa.
“That would probably be the one that everybody would talk about, because it’s all aligned together. Whether they can get him, whether he wants to leave West Brom…
“Leeds is a huge football club, and a huge attraction for anybody who is in or out of work.”
Corberan is just a few months into his long-term contract at The Hawthorns. He has 11 wins from 16 games since replacing Steve Bruce. West Brom are now sixth; four points off third-place Middlesbrough.
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