Mauricio Pochettino Tottenham return latest as fresh USMNT contract claim made

It has been a tough week for Mauricio Pochettino, who has seen his USMNT side lose both of their games during the final international break of the club season. The results come amid links with a Pochettino return to Tottenham, with Ange Postecoglou seemingly hanging by a thread amid a disastrous campaign.

Many Spurs fans still hold Pochettino in fine regard, and so he is often the go-to name when it comes to searching for a new boss, at least as far as supporters are concerned. Here we round up what you need to know about a possible Pochettino return to Tottenham

Pochettino on his USMNT job

Pochettino has spoken positively about his job at USMNT, appearing committed to the cause. USMNT have had a tough week, losing to Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals and then also losing to Canada in the third place playoff on Sunday night.

Before that tough week begun, he told The Guardian: “Football is going to be a serious sport [in the US] because it has a home. When you go to the US now [for camps and matches], one time you go to Los Angeles, then it’s New York, Chicago, Miami, Orlando or St Louis. Where is the centre for football? If you look at the training centres of the NFL and baseball, you say: ‘Wow.’ With football, it is: ‘Where is the team going to train? We need to ask the colleges and universities.’

“We have Lionel Messi in the MLS and he is helping a lot. But creating the new training centre in Atlanta is as important an impact as having a Messi. In five or 10 years, for sure the US can be No 1 in the world.”

On the World Cup, he added: “For us, the pressure is going to be there [at the World Cup] because we are a host. And then it’s a country where the mentality is about winning. In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. The players know it’s going to be massive pressure and now our president [Trump] likes to put pressure on, but it’s welcome. That means we are going to feel the adrenaline we need to feel. We are ready to deliver.”

Pochettino on possible Spurs return

Pochettino has recently spoken about a possible return to Tottenham in the future. He told Sky News: "When I left the club I always remember one interview I said I would like one day to come back to Tottenham. I am in the USA, so I am not going to talk about that now - but what I said then I still, after six years or five years, feel in my heart. Yes, I would like one day to come back."

He added: “It's true after nearly six years with all that we lived together, it was tough because of all the ups and downs and emotional things that we lived. We split very well. One thing was professional, another personal and now, like the day after we left Tottenham, we always have a very, very good relationship."

Defining factor in Mauricio Pochettino’s future

The BBC Sport have put together a report on Pochettino’s possible return to Spurs as rumours continue to gather momentum. According to a BBC source, The US Soccer Federation would be due "one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history" if Pochettino was to leave before the US’ involvement in the 2026 World Cup has concluded.

The US host the competition along with Canada and Mexico, and so their appointment of Pochettino was a flagship appointment in a bid to have a real go at the home World Cup. The US Federation have protected themselves financially against losing their star manager before then, so it looks as though the former Spurs boss will remain in place until after the end of next summer.

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