Toby Alderweireld has revealed that the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino was personally viewed as bad news when the announcement was made.
In an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, the 31-year-old defender admitted that the news of the Argentine manager’s departure came as a shock to him whilst on international duty with Belgium, yet the pace at which Jose Mourinho was announced as Pochettino’s successor was not a surprise.
The news was a shock to the footballing world after Pochettino took Tottenham to new heights that very few would have predicted, and for Alderweireld, the announcement hit him harder than most as the ex-Spurs boss was the one who handed him the chance to flourish at the club after signing him from Atletico Madrid.
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Alderweireld said on the sacking of Pochettino: “If you are in the middle of it, you will see things coming less because you focus on the matches. With the Red Devils, we had thirty out of thirty points. You are in a positive vibe. Then came the news of his dismissal. For me, it was bad news because you are always loyal to your trainer. The next day another trainer suddenly comes to you. That was very strange, but that is also part of football. Then you try to make the best of it.”
Despite Alderweireld’s comments on the dismissal of Pochettino and the subsequent arrival of Mourinho, this coaching move seemingly affected the Belgian defender as a month after the appointment of the Portuguese manager, the former Southampton loanee had penned a new long-term deal with the club.
Pochettino’s sacking was something that mentally affects Tottenham fans and some players for a good while, it seems, and even though Alderweireld viewed the move as a poor decision from the club, it seemingly led to one of Spurs’ most important names committing his future with the north London side with Mourinho now at the helm.