da aviator aposta： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da bwin： In his column for The Daily Mail, Jamie Redknapp has suggested Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham past wouldn’t “stop him from taking over” at Arsenal.
What did he say?
In a dramatic sequence of events, Tottenham sacked Pochettino after their difficult start to the campaign, replacing him with Jose Mourinho. And despite his history with the Lilywhites, reports in recent weeks have suggested that Arsenal could be interested in the Argentine if they were to remove Unai Emery from his job.
And now, Redknapp has insisted that he personally would go for Pochettino “in a heartbeat”, and that Emery is under intense pressure in relation to his long-term future at the club.
He said: “If I was a decision-maker at Arsenal, I’d go for Mauricio Pochettino in a heartbeat. I’m not sure I believe Poch would let his time with Tottenham stop him from taking over. Maybe the reason Spurs decided to go for Jose Mourinho so suddenly was they felt they could not hang around, because their north London rivals might be searching for a new boss soon. Unai Emery is under big, big pressure. I have some sympathy for him but he looks a beaten man.”
Rivalries
The question for the Gunners board will no doubt revolve around whether they would be happy to accept a manager who has been sacked by their north London rivals. It’s certainly not a move that on the face of it would scream ambition. But Pochettino’s sterling work at Tottenham – he has established them as perennial Champions League qualifiers, whilst also leading them to the showpiece finale last season – means he would be a fine appointment at the Emirates.
His Premier League experience would also be extremely invaluable, and so perhaps it’s more a dilemma on the part of Pochettino himself. Would he be happy to renege on a previous declaration that he would never manage the Gunners if Daniel Levy ever sacked him? One thing is for certain however. Emery is walking the proverbial tight-rope at Arsenal at the moment.
Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s use of Lucas Torreira as a more advanced midfielder has a method to the madness.