Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager, announced on Instagram that he was “back home” just before Antonio Conte was sacked from the club. The Argentine coach, who left Paris Saint-Germain last summer, has been heavily linked with a return to North London even before Conte’s dismissal. Pochettino’s cryptic post on Instagram, which showed a selfie with his wife Karina and was captioned “Back Home, Arigato Japan”, had many Tottenham fans excited about the possibility of him taking over again. Some fans even tried to convince him to take over as their manager again by sliding into his DMs, while others took to Twitter to express their excitement about his potential comeback.
Pochettino is one of Tottenham’s most successful and popular managers in recent history, despite failing to win a trophy with the club. He averaged 1.89 points per game, the most for any Tottenham boss in Premier League history with a minimum of 38 Premier League games in charge. He led Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool, before leaving the club in November 2019.
Conte, who succeeded Jose Mourinho as Tottenham manager in November 2021, was sacked late on Sunday night after just 11 games in charge. His departure came eight days after he launched an astonishing attack on his “selfish” players and the club’s 20 years of underachievement. The Italian coach is reportedly in line to receive a £15 million payout in compensation, while his right-hand man Cristian Stellini has taken caretaker charge until the end of the season.
Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann, the sacked Bayern Munich boss, are the favourites to be appointed as Conte’s successor in the summer. Nagelsmann is said to be open to talks with Tottenham and has an affinity for the club, having once owned a Spurs shirt. However, Pochettino is also keen to return to Tottenham and still has a good relationship with the club’s chairman, Daniel Levy.
In conclusion, Mauricio Pochettino’s Instagram post has sparked excitement among Tottenham fans about the possibility of him returning as manager, following the sacking of Antonio Conte. Pochettino is one of Tottenham’s most successful and popular managers in recent history, and his potential return would be warmly welcomed by fans. Julian Nagelsmann is also a strong contender for the job, but Pochettino’s good relationship with Daniel Levy could give him an edge in the race to become Tottenham’s next manager.