Pochettino on Real link: What will be will be

Jun 01, 2018 09:49 pm

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino responded on Friday (June 1) to speculation that he is Real Madrid’s favoured candidate to succeed Zinedine Zidane as coach by saying: “What will be, will be.”

Pochettino, speaking in Barcelona at the launch of the Spanish version of his book “A Brave New World”, said he was happy at the north London club where he last week signed a new and improved contract.

“I have a five-year deal with Tottenham and I’m very happy at the club. My commitment is at a maximum level,” the Argentinian said.

“We need to relax and take things as they come. After that we’ll see what happens.”

Zidane shocked Real by revealing he was leaving the club just days after making history by winning a third successive Champions League title.

Pochettino said he could understand the pressure that the Frenchman had been under.

“When a name is associated with Real Madrid, the expectations are immense... Football throws up circumstances you don’t expect and you have to make the most of it each day.

“What will be, will be.”

Spanish sports daily AS reported that Pochettino’s new contract does not include an agreement that he can leave Tottenham if Real make an approach for him.

Pochettino led Spurs to third place in the English Premier League in the just-completed season, behind Manchester United and runaway winners Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Germany’s World Cup-winning coach Joachim Loew ruled himself out of the running to take over at Real, after reports he has been approached to replace Zidane.

“Of course, I can completely rule that out now,” Loew told reporters at Germany’s World Cup training camp at Eppan, north Italy, after Spanish daily Marca claimed Real had already approached the 58-year-old German.

“Real Madrid will surely find a very, very good substitute for Zinedine Zidane.

“His resignation surprised me a little, but he is the best judge of whether the team has reached it’s peak (under him).

“If he feels now is the right time, then you have to respect that.”

Loew has only recently signed a contract extension with the German football federation (DFB), until the 2022 World Cup, and says he is fully focused on successfully defending the world title at Russia 2018.

Loew last coached at club level in 2004, when he was at Austria Vienna, and under his stewardship, Germany have reached at least the semi-finals of every international tournament since the 2006 World Cup.

Loew’s crowning moment was in holding aloft the 2014 World Cup trophy in Rio de Janeiro.

However, he underlined his status in Germany as a superstar coach by winning the Confederations Cup last year with an inexperienced squad after leaving all of his stars at home.

Germany play Austria in Klagenfurt on Saturday and Saudi Arabia next Friday in their final friendlies before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Mexico in Moscow on June 17, having also drawn South Korea and Sweden in Group F. – AFP