Levy wowed as Pochettino becomes his 10th manager
NEW Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino bowled over the club’s board to beat off competition from four other candidates, chairman Daniel Levy has revealed.
The Argentine was yesterday unveiled as the successor to Tim Sherwood on a five-year deal after resigning at Southampton and becomes the 10th manager to work under Levy since his arrival in 2001.
Pochettino will be asked to address the media in English rather than through an interpretor, as he has done during 18 months at St Mary’s, though nothing was lost in translation when the 42-year-old convinced Levy he could match his notoriously high standards.
“We narrowed it down to five candidates, though it was a very hard decision. But Mauricio came out on top, he came across incredibly well,” said Levy. “He was extremely dignified.
“We have a man who knows the right balance between experience and youth and, in the new world of financial fair play, that’s very important.”
Pochettino will be tasked with improving on Spurs’ sixth place finish last season, as well as restoring an attacking style of play for which his Southampton team were synonymous.
He is unlikely to be handed a war chest similar to the £107m spent on seven new players last summer, but instead maximise the talents of expensive recruits Paulinho, Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado.
“There is an abundance of top-class talent at the club and I am looking forward to starting work with the squad,” said Pochettino.
“This is a club with tremendous history and prestige and I am honoured to have been given this opportunity to be its head coach.”
Pochettino will be flanked by trusted trio assistant head coach Jesus Perez, first team coach Miguel D’Agostino and goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez who all follow him from Southampton.
He added: “We are determined to give the supporters the kind of attacking football and success that we are all looking to achieve.”
ONLY HAD 10 MEN
Managers during Daniel Levy’s 13-year reign at White Hart Lane
George Graham
David Pleat
Martin Jol
Harry Redknapp
Tim Sherwood
Glenn Hoddle
Jacques Santini
Juande Ramos
Andre Villas-Boas
Mauricio Pochettino