With Daniel Levy’s blessing, Mauricio Pochettino secretly returned to the training ground he called home for five-and-a-half years in the months after his Tottenham sacking.
For a time, that covert meeting wouldn’t have been possible.
The emotions of the gradual disintegration of the pair’s working relationship, leading to Pochettino’s ruthless sacking in November 2019, remained raw.
But time heals all. Spurs chairman Levy and Pochettino have since worked through their differences — and there were a few.
As Pochettino prepares to face Tottenham for the first time since his exit — as manager of bitter rivals Chelsea no less — it will be tinged with a sense of regret for the Argentine. A feeling what could have been.
The end of Pochettino’s love affair with Spurs is a story of unfulfilled potential, clandestine meetings with Jose Mourinho and offering Aston Villa £3million plus Josh Onomah for Jack Grealish.
Pochettino loved Grealish and in the summer of 2018, following a meeting with the now £100m-man and his father Kevin in Spain, Pochettino was certain he’d landed his top target. Grealish, too, was convinced he was leaving for Spurs.
But Levy smelt blood. Villa’s financial problems under then owner Dr Tony Xia were well-documented and Levy believed he could use that to his advantage.
But Villa’s pending takeover by billionaire Egyptian Nassef Sawiris put an end to any potential deal and the rest is history, much to Pochettino’s frustration.
Tensions between Levy and Pochettino were mostly recruitment-related.
In the summer of 2016, Sadio Mane, Gini Wijnaldum and Victor Wanyama were targets. Only Wanyama arrived, the Mane deal was lined up but not followed through and Moussa Sissoko arrived for a slightly lower fee on deadline
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