Mauricio Pochettino is the early favourite be appointed the next PSG manager after Thomas Tuchel was reportedly sacked on Christmas Eve.
Former Tottenham boss Pochettino has been out of work since leaving the north London club last year and has been loosely linked to Manchester United in recent months.
The Argentine, 48, has never managed in France but did play for PSG in the early 2000s, before moving on to Bordeaux.
He is the heavy favourite to replace Tuchel after the German was, according to Sky Germany and various reports in France, ditched despite the 4-0 win over Strasbourg on Wednesday night.
PSG currently sit third in Ligue 1 this season – a point off joint-league leaders Lyon and Lille, as French football enjoys its customary Christmas break.
And directors at the Parisian club decided to act on Tuchel, with Pochettino seemingly in line for the role.
There are reports PSG sporting director Leonardo has already been in contact with Pochettino’s lawyers.
Should Argentine Pochettino return to management, he will have beaten a number of rivals for one of the most coveted jobs in European football.
PSG managerial candidates
Former midfielder Thiago Motta – who most recently was manager of Genoa after enjoying a stint as PSG U19 coach – is in the frame thanks to his previous spell at the club.
Max Allegri is still seeking a new post after leaving Juventus in 2019. The Italian is another name who has been loosely linked to United over the past few months, although the Red Devils don’t appear in a hurry to part company with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Didier Deschamps is mooted as a possible target for PSG. The France World Cup winner played for and managed Marseille, and has been the national head coach since 2012.
Other supposed but more far-fetched candidates are Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane and Rafa Benitez.
Zidane is enduring another rocky season at Real but the club is on par with Atletico Madrid in the La Liga title race, while they made it through to the Champions League last-16.
As for Benitez, the Spaniard is struggling to find success with Dalian Professional out in China and is supposedly keen to secure a return to Europe. The former Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle boss infamously lasted just six months as manager of Real Madrid, but will be a strong candidate for the PSG post if Pochettino doesn’t get the job.
Whoever gets the post will be tasked with revitalising PSG on both the domestic and European fronts.
In the summer the club finally reached the Champions League final for the first time since being taken over the Qatari government, only to lose 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
Tuchel was tasked with bringing the European Cup back to Paris and despite cruising to two league titles his job effectively rests on success on the continent.
And that will be the remit for Pochettino should the Argentine arrive at the Parc des Princes.
As for Tuchel, his stint at PSG came to an end after he’d been forced to clarity his words following an interview in which he said he felt more like “a sports politician or sports minister than a coach”.
After the win over Strasbourg, he told Canal+: “I didn’t say it’s more about politics than sport, nor that I lost the fun of training. This is not true… It is possible they translated incorrectly.
“Watch the video interview. I just said that PSG are unique and that it’s a big challenge for me. It’s always been like that. I like this challenge and nothing has changed.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3aFHAR9
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