Mauricio Pochettino has openly admitted that watching his former side, Tottenham Hotspur, struggle to avoid relegation in the Premier League leaves him feeling "really sad." The Argentine coach, who once guided Spurs to a second‑place league finish in the 2016‑17 season and later to the 2019 Champions League final, said the current situation is heartbreaking for him on The Overlap's "Stick to Football" podcast. During his five‑year tenure in north London, Pochettino oversaw a period of significant transformation for the club. The team moved into a brand‑new stadium, completed a state‑of‑the‑art training complex, and even played several matches at Wembley while the new ground was being finished.
Despite limited transfer budgets—much of the club’s financial resources were tied up in infrastructure projects—he managed to keep Spurs competitive, achieving a top‑two league finish and a European final appearance. Now, however, Tottenham sit 18th in the table, merely two points clear of the drop zone with only four games left in the season.
"It’s really sad," Pochettino said, "I love Tottenham, it’s a huge part of my life, both as a coach and personally. Seeing the people inside the club and the supporters suffer is difficult to accept." He reflected on the constraints he faced at the time, noting that while the club possessed money, it was not the kind of capital that could be immediately turned into marquee signings. "We had the budget, but not the right type of money to close the gap with the top clubs," he explained.
"We went 18 months without a single new player, which is a Premier League record. Yet we still managed to win a FA Cup and a Carabao Cup, and we were challenging for the title each season. The missing piece was that final push, the ability to invest in the squad when it mattered most." Pochettino also mentioned two players he had hoped to bring to Tottenham—Sadio Mané and Georginio Wijnaldum. Both ultimately chose Liverpool, later playing a pivotal role in Liverpool’s 2‑0 victory over Spurs in the 2019 Champions League final.
Five months after that defeat, Pochettino was dismissed by then‑chairman Daniel Levy following a poor start to the 2019‑20 campaign, with Jose Mourinho taking over the reins. After a brief stint at Paris Saint‑Germain, he returned to England as Chelsea’s head coach in May 2023. His tenure at Chelsea lasted just over a year; a sixth‑place finish led to his departure amid the club’s ongoing managerial turnover under the new ownership group, BlueCo, which has already sacked Liam Rosenior after only 23 games.
When asked about the apparent chaos at Chelsea, Pochettino said, "I think they have a plan, but it’s different from the Abramovich era. It’s not easy for outsiders to understand, and the owners need to communicate their strategy more clearly." Looking ahead, Pochettino is preparing to lead the United States at the upcoming World Cup, which the nation will co‑host with Mexico and Canada. Despite his current international focus, he hinted that a return to the Premier League remains a long‑term ambition. "One day, yes, because I love England," he said.
"My personal and coaching profile fits very well with the Premier League." He also elaborated on what he seeks when evaluating a new coaching project. "When a club approaches me, I want to know the reality of the situation—what they expect, what resources are available, and the overall philosophy they want to build," he explained.
"At Tottenham, I understood the expectations from the beginning, but the reality was that we needed time and strategic decisions to stay competitive. The biggest problem arises when assessments come from outside the club, creating pressure to deliver immediate results without the necessary support." Pochettino concluded that while his time at Tottenham ended under difficult circumstances, he holds no regrets.
"It was a tough period, but I can’t complain. The club built a solid foundation, and I hope they can find the right path forward to return to the top of English football," he said.
As the Spurs continue their fight for survival, the former manager’s words serve as a poignant reminder of the emotional ties that bind coaches to the clubs they once led, and the complex interplay of ambition, resources, and timing that determines success in modern football.