From Santa Fe to North London! Spurs pounce on Pochettino
Tottenham Hotspur have signed Southampton's Mauricio Pochettino on a five-year-deal to fill their vacant managerial post.
After sacking Tim Sherwood at the end of the season, Spurs made a move for the Argentinean tactician, who guided the Saints to a credible eighth-place Premier League finish last season.
With his brand of high pressing attacking football, Pochettino's stock has risen considerably in England since he replaced the sacked Nigel Adkins in the St Mary's hotseat in 2013 as a relative unknown.
He could prove to be a shrewd choice to lead Spurs as they seek a return to the promised land that is the Champions League.
Here are 7 fast facts on his career:
1) Born in the town of Murphy in Santa Fe province in 1972, Pochettino was an Argentina international centre-back (pictured below in Argentina colours) whose career saw him turn out for Newell's Old Boys, Espanyol, Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux.
2) After hanging up his boots in 2006, Pochettino first coached Espanyol's women's team before taking the reins of the men's senior team in 2009 at the age of just 36.
3) Heralded as a saviour after guiding the Catalonian club to mid-table safety in his first season in charge, Pochettino lasted three full seasons as head coach. Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola identified with his colleague's methods, saying he wanted his teams to be " wanted his teams to be dynamic, brave and attacking".
4) However, a disastrous start to the 2012/13 season saw Pochettino lose his job in November 2012 with Espanyol rock-bottom of La Liga after 13 games. The club eventually survived that season.
5) Pochettino received his next assignment two months later when he was parachuted into St Mary's when newly-promoted Southampton installed him as manager after the ruthless sacking of the popular Nigel Adkins, who had guided Saints to the Premier League with back-to-back promotions from League One.
6) Despite the initial hostile reception, Pochettino began to stamp his mark on the club and the plucky Saints survived their first season back in the EPL in 14th place before their impressive 2013/14 season, where they finished eighth.
7) While not entirely responsible for their development, Pochettino has certainly helped transform and elevate the club's talented crop of players like Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez into the limelight.
Sources: Sky Sports, The Guardian, ESPN FC, Fifa.com, Uefa.com
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