How Mauricio Pochettino Almost Committed Career Suicide Before USMNT Job
A new book has claimed that Mauricio Pochettino was engaged in “serious conversations” to take over Arsenal a matter of weeks after he was sacked by their fiercest local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.
The hatred between the two north London clubs runs deep, an indisputable fact which Pochettino will have grasped after spending five years in Tottenham. The passionate Argentine embraced a fanbase which loved him back, taking a young Spurs team to three consecutive top-three Premier League finishes while also reaching the 2019 Champions League final.
However, the cost of signing just one senior first-team player across two years eventually caught up to Pochettino, who was unceremoniously dismissed during the November international break. “Big thanks to you all!” the departing manager wrote on a tactics board in the locker room. “We can’t to say (sic) goodbye... you will always be in our hearts.”
Yet, just days later Pochettino was in discussion with Arsenal’s hierarchy about taking on the post recently vacated by Unai Emery, The Telegraph’s Sam Dean has revealed in his new book, Arsenal: The Inside Story of Arsenal’s Rebirth Under Mikel Arteta.
Pochettino is described as a “strong candidate” who “showed willingness to engage” with a club he had spent the previous half-decade being paid to despise. While the move from N17 to N5 may look like an upward move now, at the time Spurs were very much in the ascendancy. Across Pochettino’s final three seasons at the club, Tottenham finished each one above their loathed neighbors.
What Would Crossing North London Divide Have Meant for Pochettino?
Only two managers have ever taken charge of both Arsenal and Tottenham. Terry Neill was always an odd fit as Spurs boss considering he had spent the entire 1960s representing the Gunners with distinction. Neill was never fully accepted by those in N5—with his reputation unhelped by continuing to manage Northern Ireland while narrowly avoiding relegation—and he cemented his reputation as an enemy agent by jumping ship when Arsenal came calling in 1976.
George Graham had not only played for Arsenal, but oversaw the club’s most successful period for half a century as manager between 1986–95. Graham had the decency to wait more than three years before he surprisingly took on the challenge of winning over Spurs fans. The 1999 League Cup title would help soothe the anger which saw him booed vociferously on his debut for the club, but he is not remembered fondly in N17. Despite his success on the pitch and in the dugout, Graham’s legacy at Arsenal has also been somewhat tinged.
Pochettino would have undoubtedly banished the considerable goodwill he is still afforded by many Spurs fans had he made the staggering move from Tottenham directly to Arsenal. There was enough discontent when the Argentine joined Chelsea in 2023, although the fact that he was only in west London for one trophy-less year has helped him work his way back into the hearts of those at Spurs.
How Pochettino Ended Up at USMNT
Pochettino is a self-confessed soccer romantic but his appointment in charge of the USMNT is underpinned by the cold reality of this business: money. After taking on the management of commercial assets in-house, the U.S. Soccer Federation had the financial clout to present their new candidate with a salary befitting the big beasts of the international stage.
When the USMNT initially went in search of a new manager in 2024, there was no avalanche of résumés. ESPN reported that it wasn’t until the potential salary on the table became clear that they actually received any interest in the post, with Pochettino one name under consideration along with the likes of Zinédine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Xavi Hernández.
Working in the favor of all involved parties was Pochettino’s relationship with Matt Crocker, the USSF’s sporting director at the time of negotiations. The pair had crossed paths at Southampton and after draining spells at demanding superclubs Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, Pochettino was open to the prospect of leading a co-host at the 2026 World Cup.
After a shaky start to his tenure, Pochettino won plenty of hearts and minds on the grand home stage. The affection is clearly mutual, as the Argentine committed his future to the program until the 2030 World Cup earlier this year. Who knows if any of that would have happened had he made the contentious decision to join Arsenal all those years ago.
