After Zinedine Zidane confirmed his shock decision to step down at Real Madrid, the search for his successor now begins for the Spanish giants.
As noted by BBC Sport, the French tactician made his announcement at a press conference alongside club president Florentino Perez on Thursday to end his stint in charge at the Bernabeu.
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It came just days after he led his side to a third consecutive Champions League triumph, while he also picked up a La Liga title and countless other trophies in a glittering tenure.
With that mind, it’s going to be quite the task to identify and appoint a coach capable of sustaining the level of success enjoyed over the last two-and-a-half years. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been been touted as a possible candidate, and he was quizzed on the vacancy on Friday.
“I’m very happy at Tottenham,” Pochettino said, as per The Guardian. “It would be disrespectful to Daniel [ for me to force a move. I’ve just renewed with Tottenham and I am happy. The link now with Madrid is normal and I take it with all normality. I’m committed to Spurs and still have a long contract with them I just signed.”
While that all sounded as though he was fully committed to Spurs and wouldn’t even consider the possibility of accepting a new challenge in the Spanish capital, when asked if saying no to a move to Real Madrid was impossible, he replied: “For you maybe. Not for me.”
That is arguably the key part of his response, as after seemingly ruling out the chances of taking the job, Pochettino opted to leave the door slightly ajar and avoided entirely dismissing the idea. That comment coupled with his response below to El Confidencial, as per the Guardian, would suggest that he’s open to at least entertaining the idea of a new challenge.
“When Real Madrid call you, you have to listen to them. Although in this case it doesn’t depend on me. I have just signed a long contract with Tottenham and I am very happy here.”
There are plenty of reasons for the Argentine tactician to stay at Tottenham. He’s done a commendable job of keeping them competitive in the top four in the Premier League, he has helped develop exciting young players like Harry Kane and Dele Alli, and they open up a new chapter in the club’s history with a new stadium next season.
However, all that has failed to lead to trophies. If Pochettino wants silverware to show for his efforts, he’d arguably be better equipped to achieve his ambitions in Madrid.