If rumours are to be believed Mauricio Pochettino will be overlooked for the Manchester United job in favour of Erik ten Hag.
Now, that surprises us. Pochettino may not have enjoyed the greatest of spells in his time with Paris Saint-Germain but he does have proven Premier League credentials.
Not so long ago, ‘Poch’ was arguably the most desirable manager in Europe with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola tied up, yet the Manchester United hierarchy believe Ten Hag could be the answer.
Maybe he is, only time will tell… although passing up on the former Spurs boss means that Pochettino will most likely be looking for a new club this summer.
And that got us thinking where he might end up – come to think of it, it got us wondering where all of the best managers might end up when they eventually leave their clubs.
Check out what we came up with below:
Future destinations
Jurgen Klopp:
Liverpool fans will be praying that Klopp extends his deal past the summer of 2024 and it’s looking rather likely that he will based upon recent interviews. Should he choose to take the leap though, we don’t think there’s too many destinations that would match up with Klopp’s style.
See, Klopp has always chosen clubs with a deep connection to their fan base and an almost underdog mentality. It’s tough to imagine him at a Real Madrid or even a Bayern Munich.
Instead we think when Klopp does eventually leave Anfield it will be for the German national team. He’s a family man and the more relaxed role should provide him the opportunity to take a breath from the intensity of the game.
Germany treasures him and imagine Klopp leading them into a World Cup – now that we want to see.
Verdict: German national team
Pep Guardiola:
Any side Pep goes into needs to be one of the silkiest teams on the planet. Pep isn’t going to mess around with any club that’s lying in mid-table, it needs to be up there with the best and then he will take it to greatness.
We would love to see the Spaniard re-take the reigns at Barcelona but with Xavi doing so well there, that switch has to be ruled out.
We reckon there’s some substance in the recent Brazil rumours and Guardiola will take charge of the Selecao in the near future.
Verdict: Brazilian national team
Thomas Tuchel:
Another special German manager, Tuchel is revered by Chelsea fans the way few were before him. Given he only recently joined the club, we don’t think he’ll be moving on anytime soon unless there is further ownership related complications.
When he does leave Stamford Bridge, though, it wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine Tuchel taking the helm at Bayern Munich. We doubt the fact he was previously at Dortmund should complicate matters too much and given he’s six years Klopp’s junior, we feel that Tuchel has another big club in him after his time with Chelsea is complete.
Verdict: Bayern
Mauricio Pochettino:
The way we see it, if Pochettino leaves PSG there are just two clubs that would be potential options – Juventus or Real Madrid.
The Old Lady have suffered a torrid season by their standards under Massimo Allegri and currently sit fourth in the table. A serious re-building job is required but it might prove the perfect opportunity for the Argentine.
Alternatively, speculation is rife that Ancelotti will leave the Bernabeu this season despite him leading Real Madrid to the La Liga title and the semi-finals of the Champions League.
If that was to happen, Pochettino would be the likely successor given Florentino Perez has already made two attempts to sign him in recent years.
However, we can’t see them parting ways with the Italian after the job he has done and so we think Poch is heading for Turin come the summer.
Verdict: Juventus
