Jamie Carragher thinks Mauricio Pochettino would be wrong to return to Tottenham because doing so would be like Kevin Keegan going back to Newcastle United.
Tottenham’s coach Antonio Conte is under increasing pressure following a desperate run that dashed their chances of taking home a trophy this year.
Spurs entered the top four in the Premier League after back-to-back wins, but after losing at Wolves in the league, the FA Cup at Sheffield United, and a miserable goalless draw at Milan, they were eliminated from the Champions League.
Conte’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign, so it seems likely that the former manager of Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter will soon leave Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Pochettino, who spent five years at the club, would be a popular appointment for many fans, and he remains out of work after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
But Liverpool legend Carragher sees concerning parallels with Keegan’s 2008 homecoming at Newcastle, where he soon left following a dispute with owner Mike Ashley.
“Never go back. That is what they say in football,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph.
“Mauricio Pochettino would be wise to remember that if he is tempted to return to Tottenham Hotspur.
“Don’t do it, Poch. All parties need to move on. Comebacks are usually more romantic than logical.
4 – Tottenham Hotspur finished in the top four in four of their five previous completed seasons under Mauricio Pochettino, this after having finished in the top four in just two of their 22 Premier League campaigns before his arrival. Improved. pic.twitter.com/Ie8mo6MhNO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 19, 2019
“Pochettino may see Spurs as the best chance to return to the Premier League. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy could curry favour with the supporters by re-appointing a popular ex-manager.
“They must know how rarely old magic is recreated in football.”
While noting Carlo Ancelotti has enjoyed a successful second spell at Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho won the title after rejoining Chelsea, Carragher added: “Pochettino returning to Spurs would be like Kevin Keegan going back to Newcastle United.
“Like Keegan’s Newcastle in the mid-90s, Pochettino’s Tottenham charmed neutrals without winning trophies.
“Keegan’s re-appointment in 2008 was greeted like the second coming, but he walked into different conditions and was gone eight months later.”
Tottenham finished second under Pochettino in 2016-17, their best performance since the 1960s, and also came third twice.
He was unable to end their wait for silverware, however, losing in the Champions League final in 2019 and EFL Cup final in 2015.