There is a genuine possibility that this could be Mauricio Pochettino’s last season with Tottenham after five years in north London.
Is Pochettino still the right man for Tottenham Hotspur?
Yes, absolutely!
No way, Poch out
The Spurs manager is under increasing pressure from supporters after a terrible start to the season that currently sees last season’s Champions League finalists down in 14th place in the Premier League table, a whole 11 points off top-four as well as out of the League Cup already at the hands of Colchester United.
Indeed, time is ticking for Pochettino as reported by The Telegraph, who claim that the Argentine coach is reaching the point of no return with the Premier League side, and that Tottenham’s upcoming game with West Ham will be a make or break fixture.
As well as seemingly confirm that Pochettino has one game to save his job, the report also suggests that Daniel Levy would prefer to wait to the end of the season to hire Pochettino’s successor, with Eddie Howe listed as one of the managers the club are interested in recruiting.
Despite the Bournemouth manager being named as the Football League’s Manager of the Decade in 2015 as reported by The Guardian, a move for Howe should Pochettino leave Tottenham could result in the club regressing after five years of constant improvement.
There is no question that Howe has done a phenomenal job with the Cherries, taking a club on the verge of liquidation in League Two to Premier League regulars in the span of seven years, yet making the step-up to Tottenham could be too far a jump for the 41-year-old manager to take.
Howe replacing Pochettino at Spurs could be akin to David Moyes taking the Manchester United job following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, a seemingly sensible choice on paper yet one that could unravel into the club falling further than anyone would have expected.
Tottenham should be aiming to appoint a manager who knows how to take the club to the next level, that being one that can regularly bring silverware to the club after years of barrenness in that department, and Howe, despite his accomplishments, doesn’t fit that mould in the slightest.