Tottenham Hotspur may soon find themselves in the market for a new manager.
Ange Postecoglou is facing mounting pressure at Spurs, with the team currently languishing in 15th place in the Premier League. Given Tottenham’s recent history with managerial changes, it wouldn’t be surprising if the club considers making a change sooner rather than later.
Amid this uncertainty, Mauricio Pochettino has once again found himself linked with a return to North London. The former Spurs boss made headlines this week when he publicly expressed his desire to return to the club at some point in the future. Naturally, this sparked excitement among sections of the fanbase who fondly remember the Argentine’s previous tenure, which included a run to the Champions League final in 2019.
However, according to The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke and James Maw, speaking on The View From The Lane podcast, Tottenham supporters shouldn’t get their hopes up. A reunion with Pochettino isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
Pochettino’s Return to Spurs Unlikely in the Near Future
Maw and Pitt-Brooke delved into the speculation surrounding Pochettino and quickly dismissed any immediate return to Tottenham. The primary reason? Pochettino has already committed himself to leading the United States men’s national team into the 2026 World Cup.
Given that the tournament will be held in the USA, Pochettino sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Managing the host nation on football’s biggest stage is a challenge he is unlikely to walk away from. As a result, he is expected to remain tied up for at least another two seasons, making any short-term return to Spurs unrealistic.
Despite still being in contact with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, Pochettino’s obligations with the USMNT mean that a return to the Tottenham dugout isn’t in the cards anytime soon.
“So it wouldn’t really be an ideal situation for him to be manager of any club team working on that calendar in 26/27 either,” Maw explained. “So you’re probably talking about Mauricio Pochettino, the earliest he could return as manager is when whoever is manager at the start of the season after next leaves the club. And that could be, we could be two or three managers down by that point.”
Pitt-Brooke echoed this sentiment, making it clear that Pochettino is fully committed to his role with the USMNT. “Yeah, I think the chances of him— I know a lot of people have asked, like, do you reckon he can job share with the US? Or do you think he can just take over this summer? The chance of Poch not being the US manager at the World Cup are zero, like they’re just absolutely zero,” he stated.
“For him, coaching the US at the World Cup is such a huge thing. It’s such a rare privilege to coach a host nation at a World Cup.”
Can Managers Handle Two Jobs at Once?
While Pitt-Brooke made it clear that Pochettino won’t be juggling club and country responsibilities, history has shown that, on rare occasions, managers have taken charge of both a national team and a club side simultaneously.
One of the most famous examples is Guus Hiddink, who managed both Chelsea and the Russian national team during the late 2000s. In an even earlier example, Sir Alex Ferguson briefly took charge of Scotland while still managing Aberdeen following the tragic passing of Jock Stein in the 1980s.
More recently, Leonid Slutskiy managed both Hull City and the Russian national team, while Billy Bingham once balanced his duties as Northern Ireland’s manager with a role at Plymouth Argyle.
That being said, such dual roles have generally been unsustainable, and clubs rarely take such an approach in the modern era. National team commitments require extensive scouting, tactical planning, and long-term squad development, making it extremely difficult to manage a club simultaneously.
Could Tottenham Consider a Temporary Solution?
While Pochettino is currently unavailable, Tottenham could still find themselves in a desperate situation if results don’t improve. If Postecoglou is dismissed mid-season, Spurs will have to carefully consider their options.
Although the possibility of Pochettino managing both Spurs and the USA at the same time seems highly unlikely, football has seen stranger things happen. He remains a highly regarded coach and was even described as “world-class” by The Guardian.
If Tottenham find themselves in dire straits, could Levy explore unconventional solutions to bring Pochettino back? While unlikely, the possibility of a temporary fix shouldn’t be completely ruled out—especially if Spurs struggle to find a long-term successor who can steer the club back on track.
For now, though, fans eager to see Pochettino back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium may need to be patient. If a return is ever on the cards, it will have to wait until after the 2026 World Cup.
‘Absolutely zero’: There is no chance that ‘world class’ manager will take the Tottenham job
