Mauricio Pochettino: 'I will never manage Barcelona'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 17 October 2017

Pochettino: 'I'll never manage Barcelona'

Mauricio Pochettino, linked with the Barcelona manager's job earlier this year, insists that he will never consider coaching the La Liga giants.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has categorically ruled out ever taking charge of Barcelona due to his Espanyol links.

The 45-year-old spent eight years of his playing career with the Periquitos across two separate spells, before taking his first steps into management at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat.

Pochettino has since moved on to Southampton and Spurs, enjoying plenty of success at both English clubs, leading to reports in the summer that he was in the frame to replace Luis Enrique at Barcelona - a job that later went to Ernesto Valverde.

Ahead of Tottenham's Champions League showdown with Real Madrid on Tuesday night, though, the Argentine has insisted that he could never coach the five-time European Cup winners.

"I always try to be honest. I don't like to lie," he told reporters. "Sometimes I lie a bit to my wife, but not to the media. It's impossible. I could not coach Barcelona, for many reasons we shouldn't get deep into."

Pochettino also revealed that he is happy to spend the next decade and more in North London if offered a new long-term deal by chairman Daniel Levy.