Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: I want to manage in Italy

But Spurs boss says winning Premier League at the new stadium is his main ambition
Flying high: Mauricio Pochettino has guided Tottenham to their best-ever start to a Premier League season
PA
Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP27 November 2018

Mauricio Pochettino has said it would be wonderful to manage in Italy but insists he is happy at Tottenham and has targeted winning the Premier League title in their new stadium.

Pochettino signed a new five-year contract in May and he has since guided Spurs to their best-ever start to a Premier League season, with Saturday’s dominant 3-1 win over Chelsea the standout result.

However, Spurs have struggled in the Champions League and they must beat Inter Milan at Wembley on Wednesday to maintain any hope of reaching the knockout stages for the second year running.

Ahead of the match, Pochettino joked: “My contract expires in four-and-a-half years — if [Spurs chairman Daniel] Levy does not fire me first!

“Seriously, today I see myself here. I dream of winning a trophy with Tottenham, maybe the Premier League in our new stadium.

“In the future to also manage the Argentine team is my desire.

“The important thing is to be happy and I am right now. Me in Serie A? I have Italian origins and it would be a wonderful experience.”

Spurs’ £1billion stadium is still not ready to open, with no official date named for it to do so.

Pochettino revealed that Nicolas Burdisso, his fellow former Argentina international who played in Serie A, had asked the Spurs boss whether he had considered a move to Italy.

Pochettino, 46, revealed that Sampdoria had shown an interest in him during his time at Espanyol, where he coached from 2009-2012. While he is happy in north London, Pochettino’s enthusiasm for Italian football is clear.

Tottenham squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers

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He said: “When Burdisso asked me, I told him I’d never really thought about it, but every time I go to Italy, I feel at home there.

“Argentines and Italians are very similar, for the way we live life and for our passion for football. Clearly [to work in Italy] I would need to have a better grasp of Italian, as language is fundamental to communicate with players.

“I remember that my grandfather would speak to me quite often in Italian but I was quite young. I’d need to do a bit of practice before moving to Italy!

“Years ago there were contacts with Sampdoria. I was at Espanyol, they showed an interest but then nothing happened.”

Staying put: Pochettino was linked with the Real Madrid job in the summer but stayed in north London 
AFP/Getty Images/Daniel Leal-Olivas

Pochettino was linked with Real Madrid in the summer after Zinedine Zidane resigned days after the Argentine had signed his new deal with Spurs, and then again earlier this month when the Frenchman’s successor Julen Lopetegui was sacked.

Speaking to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Pochettino named Real Madrid as the favourites to win a fourth consecutive Champions League crown, despite the managerial turmoil at the Bernabeu and the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

He added: “They are still the strongest team. It won’t be easy to win four in a row but they know how to win when they reach the knockout phase.”

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