Mauricio Pochettino would be “the perfect candidate” to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, says Trevor Sinclair, with the current coach at the Etihad Stadium said to be looking “irritated”.
A highly-rated Argentine tactician finds himself back on the market after being relieved of his duties at Tottenham.
Various landing spots are being mooted for Pochettino after seeing the managerial baton in north London passed on to Jose Mourinho.
There are no vacancies for him to fill in the Premier League at present, but prominent posts could become available in the near future.
Unai Emery’s position at Arsenal is said to be under threat, while Sinclair believes questions will be asked of how much longer Guardiola has left at reigning champions City.
The Catalan is taking in a fourth season with the Blues and, with VAR issues doing little to lift his mood in 2019-20, he has a history when it comes to walking away from successful roles.
Former City winger Sinclair has told talkSPORT on a possible change in Manchester: “Pochettino is an absolutely top-class manager.
“For the brand, any club would want him. He says the right things, he’s got humility and you can tell he’s got really good principles.
“You can tell he wouldn’t have walked away from that job, whatever his contract was he would have finished that contract.
Getty Images
“How much would he have cost if a club went in to purchase him from Tottenham two weeks ago? Fortunes! And now he’s free!
“I’m looking at the situation at Man City, and I haven’t heard anything, but Pep Guardiola looks irritated this season.
“Not with the club, not with the owners, not with his team. He looks like he’s had enough of VAR.
“And, he’s been at the club a few years and he doesn’t tend to hang about.
“If he does walk away – I’m not saying he will – but if he did walk away from Man City in the summer, I think Pochettino would be the perfect candidate to come in and take that hot-seat.
“I know it’s all ifs and buts.
“But he is a top, top-class manager and probably every club in the world will be looking at this situation at the moment.”
Pochettino, who started a spell in England at Southampton, has offered no indication as to what his next move will be or when he will look to make a return to the dugout.
