Manchester City are reportedly weighing up the idea of replacing under-fire boss Manuel Pellegrini with Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
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According to Catalan newspaper Sport, the champions are likely to move for either the Spurs man or Ajax’s Frank de Boer if they do decide to part company with Pellegrini, who looks certain to end the campaign without a trophy and is now fighting to secure Champions League qualification due to a torrid run of form in 2015.
The report claims that the City hierarchy has been impressed by Pochettino’s first season in charge at White Hart Lane. He still has an outside chance of guiding them to a top-four finish in the Premier League, and earlier this term the Argentine guided the north London outfit to the League Cup final and last-32 of the Europa League.
Spurs would almost certainly be reluctant to lose the 43-year-old, who penned a five-year deal upon his arrival from Southampton last summer and has become a popular figure among supporters after an uncertain start.
According to Sport, Ajax head coach de Boer fits the criteria set out by chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain. Both Soriano and Begiristain were key figures in the Nou Camp boardroom in the previous decade, and are on familiar terms with ex-Barca star de Boer.
The Spanish publication believe the Dutchman shares their football philosophy and would be a good fit at the Etihad Stadium. However, any deal to land the 44-year-old could be complicated by the fact that Soriano and Begiristain face as much scrutiny as Pellegrini and are not guaranteed to escape the axe when they explain the club’s failings in an end-of-season review with the owners.