REPORT: Mauricio Pochettino Could Make Premier League Return at Newcastle United

The Details

Currently, Mike Ashley is in the process of selling Newcastle United. The current negotiations are with a consortium; this consists of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, Amanda Staveley and the Reuben Brothers. This is a highly controversial £300 million deal, which even if completed may not be approved by the Premier League.

Mauricio Pochettino is the favoured manager for the potential owners. The Ex-Spurs manager was sacked after a five year period in charge. He consistently delivered the club Champions League football and even got them to the final. However, his form in the final season proved to be an insurmountable issue for the Spurs board.

He has affirmed earlier in the year that he’d love to return to the Premier League (The Guardian). However, any decision on the new manager depends entirely on whether Mike Ashley sells his club to the consortium, and if the Premier League sanctions this.

Suitability

Steve Bruce is currently at the Newcastle helm; he succeeded Rafa Benitez in July 2019. Before the coronavirus struck, he had managed to get the club to 13th in the league. If the club takeover happens, Bruce will still be in charge, according to Sky Sports.

However, he could be replaced by Pochettino. Newcastle would be replacing an experienced Premier League manager with another. Pochettino has been much more accustomed to the higher end of the league table, though. He has the crucial experience in cultivating a club to take them to a Champions League final. Tottenham were good enough to take a point at Camp Nou, defeat Real Madrid over two legs and make a sensational comeback against Ajax in their campaigns over the recent years.

Thus, Pochettino would make a great fit for Newcastle and their ambitions. Should the proposed owners back their manager, but especially Pochettino, it would be fascinating to see what kind of project could be built. After all, Pochettino did not receive full financial backing at Spurs. Their intermittent periods of signing players, and not securing targets eventually caught up to them. The new owners at Newcastle could finance Pochettino’s dream team.

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