Despite growing chatter, Tottenham are unlikely to turn to Mauricio Pochettino as a successor should they part ways with Roberto De Zerbi, according to former club scout Mick Brown.
Pochettino has recently expressed fondness for Spurs and a desire to manage in the Premier League again someday, fueling talk of a possible homecoming. But the Argentine only just signed a new deal with the US national team and isn’t expected to leave that post soon. Speaking to Football Insider, Brown said a Pochettino return to North London doesn’t look realistic in the near term, whatever happens with De Zerbi’s job.
De Zerbi’s position has come under scrutiny amid a rocky start to his first full campaign — Tottenham remain winless and scoreless through four Premier League matches, and their Carabao Cup run ended with a 3-1 loss to Liverpool.
Brown had already noted back in July that Pochettino was willing to delay his Premier League comeback after being passed over for both the Tottenham and Manchester United jobs. With De Zerbi and Michael Carrick both landing permanent posts, and Pochettino tied to the US through the World Cup, his path back to English football grew even less clear. Brown suggested that even now, with fresh comments reigniting speculation, the timing or competing candidates keep working against him.
“I don’t see any way Pochettino could return to Tottenham at the moment,” Brown said. “He’s signed a new USA contract and seems to be doing well — they impressed at the World Cup, so I’d expect him to stay on. He occasionally does interviews floating a Tottenham return, but it never quite lines up, whether on timing or because others are ahead of him in line. I think that pattern holds again — even if Spurs move on from De Zerbi, they’ll likely look elsewhere.”
