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Igot Tudor will be looking over his shoulder all the while Mauricio Pochettino continues to be linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur have already been dealt a slight blow to their hopes of appointing Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season. The United States Men's National Team head coach was one of several potential candidates for the previously vacant head coach position, but the Lilywhites decided to bring in Igor Tudor on a temporary basis instead.
If Spurs had gone for Pochettino, they would have likely had to cough up an eye-watering compensation fee. According to the BBC, the United States Soccer Federation would be entitled to 'one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history' if Pochettino leaves to take a new job before the World Cup.
The United States are, of course, co-hosting this summer's tournament with Canada and Mexico. Bayern Munich coughed up £21million to prise Julian Nagelsmann from RB Leipzig in 2021 before Chelsea forked out a similar fee a year or so later to lure Graham Potter from Brighton.
Fortunately for Tottenham, the Argentine's contract is currently set to expire after the World Cup, making him available on a free transfer. However, there's a problem.
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The USMNT don't play their final group stage match until June 26. The round of 16 will then take place between July 4 and July 7, with the quarter-finals between July 9 and July 11, the semi-finals between July 14 and July 15, and the final on July 19.
A week or so later, Tottenham are set to play Sydney FC and Chelsea in the 2026 Sydney Super Cup on July 29 and August 1, respectively. The Lilywhites are yet to release their full pre-season fixture schedule, but last year, they got the ball rolling on July 19.
While it's unlikely the co-hosts will go the distance at the World Cup, Spurs would have to consider whether Pochettino and his coaching staff would want a break. If Tottenham were to secure his signature, either those who didn't represent their country over the summer would begin for pre-season without a head coach or the Argentine would have to rush to Hotspur Way unprepared.
As it stands, Pochettino is currently focused on leading the USMNT into the World Cup. However, his previous comments about Tottenham speak volumes about his affection for the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports in March 2025, Pochettino admitted that he would like to return to Spurs. He said: "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."
In an interview with Jake Humphrey on the High Performance Podcast earlier this month, Pochettino fanned the flames. The former Spurs boss said: "To win a Europa League, that the team won [under Ange Postecoglou], is good, but it’s not enough.
"It is not enough to challenge for the Carabao Cup, or the FA Cup, or the Europa League, or the Conference [League]. It’s a club that should be, or needs to be, because the fans, what they expect is to be in the Champions League, fighting for the Champions League, trying to believe that you can win the Champions League and also fighting for the Premier League and believing that you can win the Premier League."
Later in the podcast, Pochettino was asked what former club means the most to him. The former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Southampton gaffer had no doubt in his mind.
"It is very simple: Tottenham," he replied. "Still, the people on the street, the fans of Tottenham, really show the love and the appreciation, and I think that is why it’s so special."
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