Mauricio Pochettino insists he would not swap Tottenham for any club in the world… despite interest from Real Madrid
MAURICIO POCHETTINO claims he would not swap Tottenham for ANY club in the world.
Poch is on Real Madrid’s radar but says his immediate future plan is getting Spurs into the new stadium and fighting for titles.
He said: “Today, I do not change Tottenham for another position in the world because I am so involved.
“I am so focused and the club deserves to have people that think only of the club, the fans, the players and the structures that provide us with an unbelievable life.
“It’s an amazing club — everything is amazing. And it’s so important for us to pay back. To pay back the club in the same way the club treat us.”
Pochettino, 45, has caught the eye of Real during the last 3½ years at Spurs.
But the Argie has an emotional attachment to the North Londoners after turning them into title contenders.
Ahead of hosting Prem strugglers Crystal Palace today, he said: “For me, the most important club in the world is Tottenham.
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“And, for me, it is the best club in the world. I need to feel like this.
“That emotion is real because I cannot be fake. I cannot translate that emotion to the players — I cannot translate that emotion to my chairman.
“It’s too difficult to create the trust if you don’t really believe and it’s not real, that emotion. And today, for me, Tottenham is in my head 100 per cent.
“I cannot guess what happens in Real Madrid or Barcelona or at other clubs. I don’t want to lie.
“Always, I want to be honest and I say I don’t think about tomorrow. I don’t think about next season. Because it doesn’t depend only on me — it depends on many circumstances.
“And it’s so important to be respectful and prudent and cautious and intelligent.”
Pochettino’s stock could not be higher after masterminding their stunning 3-1 win over Real at Wembley in midweek.
But the reality of what they had achieved only sunk in when he got home and read a message from his assistant Jesus Perez.
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He said: “Sometimes we don’t stop to realise what we are doing. In that moment, it touched me inside. It was a very good message from him.
“When I got home, I read it and it was difficult for me to express my feelings.
“I said to my wife in that moment, I didn’t need anything.
“There were Halloween cookies made by my wife. I took one and, because Jesus bought me a very nice present, it was a Japanese whisky, I took a glass and put a bit of whisky in it.
“So I drink it, eat a cookie and put my iPad on and listen to Spanish radio about politics in Catalonia and then I slept. That was the truth.”
Now he insists he wants to finish the job he started at Spurs.
It was three weeks ago that Poch put on a Spurs hardhat and visited the site of the new stadium alongside chairman Daniel Levy.
And he added: “It is my belief I can achieve what I want here. That’s why I fight a lot. Because I believe in this club, in the philosophy.
“I believe in Daniel Levy and I believe we can build a fantastic team.
“Today when you go to Wembley, there are 80,000 people — fans are so excited to get to the new stadium.
“It is not, in fact, the stadium. It’s more to enjoy the journey with Daniel.
“Before I arrived at Spurs, everyone said, ‘It’s so difficult to have a very good relationship with Daniel’.
“But I discovered a great man. Today, I feel he trusts in me and I trust in him.”
