Brows raised over the weekend as rookie boss Andrea Pirlo landed the job at Juventus, a total of nine days after he was initially introduced as manager of the club’s U23 squad.
Pirlo may be the coolest man in football, but few would argue that Juventus have opted for the riskier – albeit cheaper – managerial option given that he has no experience to his name.
It’s undoubtedly a gamble, but one the club hopes works wonders, similar to the respective successes of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, although both men actually managed the second team early.
Zidane was briefly in the mix for a return to Juventus, as did Mauricio Pochettino, who quickly emerged as the bookmaker’s favorite in the aftermath of Maurizio Sarri’s exit on Saturday.
But after shelling out a staggering £ 21m to sack Sarri – as reported by the Daily Mail – Juventus appears to have been put off by Pochettino’s alleged £ 8m a year salary – a decision they may later regret. .
So, after losing his job, what does the future hold for the former Tottenham manager?
We evaluate his options, including a third job in the Premier League, a return to La Liga and a new chapter in Italy …
Rome
We now know that Pochettino will not leave for Turin, however a transfer to the Italian capital has been hypothesized.
Roma are currently led by Paulo Fonseca, who replaced Claudio Ranieri last summer. The former Shakhtar Donetsk manager was unable to lead his Champions League troops via Serie A (5th) or via Europa League avenue, after the club lost to Sevilla in the round of 16.
Last week the acquisition of Dan Friedkin’s Rome was completed – for £ 532 million – which inevitably led to speculation that a managerial change could potentially occur.
If the American billionaire were eager to make a statement, then appointing Pochettino would undoubtedly do just that.
Mauricio Pochettino was the Juventus favorite, who promptly named Andrea Pirlo
Barcelona
Quique Setien has been trying to take some time off since he landed the job in Barcelona earlier this year.
The Spaniard wasn’t even the club’s first or second pick for position – Xavi and Ronald Koeman were the goals reported – while he has since lost to Real Madrid in the La Liga title race and has failed to make a mark. in the Copa del Rey, however Barcelona are still involved in the Champions League, a competition that Setien may have to win to keep his job.
After all, Setien’s predecessor Ernesto Valverde was eliminated despite winning consecutive titles.
Now, everyone knows by now that Pochettino has already stated that he would never manage Barcelona due to his loyalty to the former club Espanyol. But times and circumstances change in football, a sport chock full of examples of managers getting back on their word – just look at Pochettino’s Spurs successor Jose Mourinho, who previously said he could never run the club.
Also, Espanyol were relegated last month, so there’s a chance Pochettino won’t even have to face his old team.
If Barcelona opened the search for their third boss of 2020, Pochettino would certainly be in the frame. Even if you feel that Xavi will be at the top of their list.
Mauricio Pochettino odds of the next job – via Paddy Power – click here to bet
2/5 Juventus
5/13 Real Madrid
6/1 Man City
6/1 Man Utd
9/1 Rome
11/1 Paris St-G
11/1 Newcastle
18/1 Inter Milan
20/1 Barcelona
1/22 Bayern Munich
75/1 Arsenal
90/1 Leeds
real Madrid
If Juventus had removed Zinedine Zidane from Real Madrid, Pochettino would have been a point of reference for the subsequent opening of the bench at the Bernabeu.
Who knows if the Old Lady’s decision to opt internally for Pirlo bothered club legend Zidane, he may not have even wanted the job in the first place.
For now he stays at the Bernabeu, and in truth he doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.
Pochettino may have to play the waiting game if it’s the job in Madrid he wants.
Man Utd
There were a couple of spots last season where Pochettino seemed nailed to becoming Man Utd’s next manager, and while that might one day be the case, that day doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rode the storm and, in turn, pushed Man Utd up to 3rd place as his team is currently one game away from a spot in the Europa League semi-finals. In other words, Pochettino is no longer on United’s management radar.
Solskjaer looks safe and sound for now with only a diabolical start to the upcoming 2020/21 season that could jeopardize his position.
Man City
Staying in Manchester for a moment, Pochettino was also previously linked to Man City.
Pep Guardiola has yet to sign a new deal – his contract will expire next summer – and he has never managed a club beyond four years, but it would still be a huge shock if he were to leave soon.
But who knows? If the Spaniard sacked Man City to Champions League glory this month, he may decide to look for a new challenge …
Newcastle
Mauricio Pochettino at Newcastle has always looked rather far-fetched, but now the takeover by Saudi Arabia has collapsed, as have any faint hopes that the Toon will attract Poch – though he remains the 6/4 favorite to replace Steve Bruce, if last were to be eliminated.
Borussia Dortmund
Like all the clubs mentioned so far, Borussia Dortmund currently has a manager: Lucien Favre.
Free-points Dortmund stunned at times last season, but ultimately failed once again in the title race when rivals Bayern won their eighth Bundesliga.
The Swiss’s future at the club seemed to be a crossword puzzle, but it has since been confirmed that he will be trusted for another season. He certainly has an exciting attacking team at his disposal, but the question marks remain on the defensive.
Pochettino was linked to the position at the end of last year and could be a replacement for Favre should the latter break away in the next term. No doubt he would appreciate the chance to become the coach who stops Bayern’s dominance.
Mauricio Pochettino
Previous team: Tottenham Hotspur
Left: November 19, 2019
Rafael Benitez
Current team: Dalian Yifang
Time with the team:
1 year 1 month 8 days
Eddie Howe
Previous team: Bournemouth
Left: August 1, 2020
Laurent Blanc
Previous team: Paris St Germain
Left: June 27, 2016
Andre Villas Boas
Current team: Marseilles
Time with the team:
1 year 2 months 13 days
Kevin Keegan
Previous team: Newcastle United
Left: September 4, 2008
Massimiliano Allegri
Previous team: Juventus
Left: May 26, 2019
Roberto Mancini
Current team: Italy
Time with the team:
2 years 2 months 27 days
Julian Nagelsmann
Current team: Leipzig
Time with the team:
1 year 1 month 9 days
Jose Mourinho
Current team: Tottenham Hotspur
Time with the team:
8 months 20 days
Unai emery
Current team: Villarreal
Time with the team:
18 days
Lucien Favre
Current team: Borussia Dortmund
Time with the team:
2 years 1 month 9 days
Luciano Spalletti
Previous team: International
Left: May 30, 2019
Zinedine Zidane
Current team: real Madrid
Time with the team:
1 year 4 months 30 days
Marcelo bielsa
Current team: Leeds United
Time with the team:
2 years 1 month 25 days
Antonio Conte
Current team: International
Time with the team:
1 year 2 months 10 days
Sean Dyche
Current team: Burnley
Time with the team:
7 years 9 months 11 days
Gian Piero Gasperini
Current team: Atalanta
Time with the team:
4 years 1 month 26 days
Jorge Jesus
Current team: Flamengo
Time with the team:
1 year 1 month 20 days
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Current team: Southampton
Time with the team:
1 year 8 months 5 days
Marco Rose
Current team: Borussia Monchengladbach
Time with the team:
1 year 1 month 9 days
Steven Gerrard
Current team: Rangers
Time with the team:
2 years 2 months 9 days
Roberto Martinez
Current team: Belgium
Time with the team:
4 years 7 days
Diego Simeone
Current team: Atletico Madrid
Time with the team:
8 years 7 months 18 days
Chris Wilder
Current team: Sheffield United
Time with the team:
4 years 2 months 29 days
Paulo Fonseca
Current team: Rome
Time with the team:
1 year 1 month 29 days
Louis van Gaal
Previous team: Manchester United
Left: 23 May 2016
Luis Enrique
Current team: Spain
Time with the team:
8 months 21 days
Pep Guardiola
Current team: Manchester City
Time with the team:
4 years 1 month 9 days
Marco Silva
Previous team: Everton
Left: December 5, 2019
Arsene Wenger
Previous team: Arsenal
Left: 13 May 2018
Michael Carrick
Previous team: None
Daniel Farke
Current team: Norwich City
Time with the team:
3 years 2 months 16 days
David Moyes
Current team: West Ham United
Time with the team:
7 months 12 days
Erik Ten Hag
Current team: Ajax
Time with the team:
2 years 7 months 13 days
Roy Keane
Previous team: Ipswich Town
Left: January 7, 2011
Gary Neville
Previous team: Valencia
Left: April 30, 2016
Brendan Rodgers
Current team: Leicester City
Time with the team:
1 year 5 months 12 days
Sam Allardyce
Previous team: Everton
Left: May 16th 2018
Lee Bowyer
Current team: Charlton Athletic
Time with the team:
2 years 4 months 19 days
John Terry
Previous team: None
Jurgen Klopp
Current team: Liverpool
Time with the team:
4 years 10 months 2 days
Alan Pardew
Previous team: Ado den Haag
Left: April 28, 2020
Alan Shearer
Previous team: Newcastle United
Left: May 31, 2009
Corrected probabilities as of 2020-08-10 10:59:56
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