Pochettino: Brave to be Real Madrid manager? It's the opposite
The Tottenham Hotspur manager spoke to AS while in Barcelona for his book launch and said that although he is happy in London, destiny will take its course.
Mauricio Pochettino insists he will not force a switch to Real Madrid, as the Tottenham manager intends to let his football "destiny" play out.
Destiny will guide Pochettino
With three-time Champions League winner Zinedine Zidane quitting as Madrid coach on Thursday, the European champions are suddenly required to source a replacement. But speaking with AS he made it clear that thses decisions involve a lot of thought, stating, "even before tactical concepts, it is to find football identity."
Pochettino, despite recently signing a contract renewal at Spurs, has long been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu and features prominently among the favourites.
But the former Espanyol and Southampton boss, in Spain to promote a book on his time at Tottenham, written by AS' Guillem Balague, claimed he is content in north London.
"I live in the present...I enjoy what is happening and what has to be will be"
"I'm very happy at Tottenham," Pochettino told a news conference. "It would be disrespectful to Daniel [Levy, Tottenham chairman] for me to force a move. I've just renewed with Tottenham and I am happy.
He added: "I live in the present - there is nothing more important than that. I enjoy what is happening and what has to be will be.
"[Newell's Old Boys academy coach] Jorge Griffa once told me that I must let football take me, that I do not want to change my destiny."
Pochettino also put to bed talk of a release clause in his new deal that would allow an easy exit if Madrid came calling.
"No, it's not [true]," he said of the reports. "Neither written nor verbal."
Not brave to take over a Madrid
Asked if it would be a brave man to take up the Real Madrid manager's job following Zidane's success, Pôchettino felt it was the reverse.
"Real Madrid have won four European Cups in five years, three in a row. Zidane has done amazing and I am a great admirer of his.
"They are the best in the world. Do you have to be brave to take on a squad like that? I would suggest it's the opposite. Whoever has the chance to take on that role will do his own analysis. We are talking about one of the best teams in the history of football."
