Mauricio Pochettino to Man United: Is Tottenham love affair finally over?

"He's magic, you know, Mauricio Pochettino!" For five years, these were the words that rang out amongst Tottenham fans.

First, at the old White Hart Lane -- a much-loved, if dilapidated, ground that became a fortress during Pochettino's years as head coach of the club. Then, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium -- a magnificent arena that, in recent years, has felt more like a house of horrors than any sort of stronghold.

But now Pochettino is back in the Premier League, this time as Manchester United manager. And for Tottenham fans who once dreamed of seeing the Argentine return to north London, it's another reminder that the man who gave us so many unforgettable memories might never be coming home.

The Pochettino love affair

The Argentine manager joined Tottenham in 2014 and was at the helm of one of the best, and most beloved, Spurs teams in the club's history. Under Pochettino, Harry Kane (now a Ballon d'Or winner!), Son Heung-Min, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Mousa Dembélé and Hugo Lloris all shone in ways that few football fans and pundits expected.

During the Pochettino era, Tottenham came agonisingly close to winning the Premier League and reached the Champions League final. They went an entire season unbeaten at home -- somewhat unthinkable now given the team's struggles at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium -- and played some of the most thrilling football in the league at the time.

There were famous victories over arch-rivals Arsenal and in Europe, including over Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and, of course, there was that night in Amsterdam. When Lucas Moura scored an astonishing hat trick against Ajax to send Spurs to the Champions League final for the first time in our history.

For many Spurs fans, including myself, the Poch years brought some of our best ever memories of supporting the club. There was a special connection between Pochettino and fans. He was revered and many of us hoped that it would last forever -- even if we all knew that, really, nothing ever lasts that long. Especially not in football.

When Pochettino was sacked, rather unceremoniously, in November 2019 -- just months after taking us to the Champions League final -- it felt somewhat unjust.

It was clear for anyone to see in 2019 that Tottenham's squad was beginning to get stale in a number of areas and that what the club truly needed was a rebuild. For myriad reasons, that never came to fruition and so, when, results on the pitch took a nosedive in the winter of that year the axe fell on Pochettino.

Overnight, the man who had turned Tottenham into a truly formidable side capable of beating anyone on their day was gone. Since then, it's fair to say that no other manager that has taken the wheel at the club has managed to form the same sort of bond that Pochettino had with us.

Many have come and gone but it hasn't yet felt like any of them have "got" us the way that Pochettino did. It is early days under Roberto De Zerbi and he has a huge amount of credit in the bank with supporters for saving us from relegation -- he could well be our next Poch if things go well under him, given his passionate nature and the fact that he, like Pochettino was in 2014, is a relatively young coach with a playing style that Spurs fans are drawn to.

But it often feels like the Argentine still has a hold on the club. He has said on multiple occasions that he would like to return to Tottenham one day and pretty much every time that Spurs have to sack (another) manager, Pochettino seems to loom over the club.

Now that Tottenham appear willing to spend big, as they did this summer, could Pochettino one day return to finish what he started and take us to the promised land of Premier League glory? We might have finally broken the trophy curse in Pochettino's absence -- having lifted the Europa League in 2025, ironically beating Poch's new team Manchester United in doing so -- but the years since he left haven't exactly been glorious ones. 

Yet Pochettino has now returned to the Premier League twice since departing north London and neither move has brought him home. So has the ship finally sailed on the fantasy of a Tottenham reunion?

Bridges burnt?

The idea of a Pochettino return to Tottenham has, however, been marred by some of his recent career choices. In 2023, Pochettino committed an egregious sin. He joined Chelsea. 

There has never been any love lost between Tottenham and Chelsea, we have never liked them and they have never liked us, but the rivalry between the two intensified during Pochettino's time in N17. Many neutrals will remember the infamous "Battle at the Bridge" in 2016.

It was a monumental clash. Tottenham, at that point, were feasibly still in the title race against Leicester City (yep, remember that?) but they had to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to have any chance of winning the league. It was a big ask. Tottenham had and continue to have a notoriously awful record at Chelsea's ground (although we did win there this season for the first time in eight years!) and the pressure was on. 

Tottenham blew a 2-0 lead to draw the game 2-2 and Leicester won the title that night. Our title hopes were ended by their enemies and the match boiled over, as Tottenham received nine yellow cards (a Premier League record for any team) and Dembélé was handed a six-match ban for violent conduct.

From then on, the rivalry with Chelsea became even more toxic than it was before. We cannot stand each other and Tottenham's hatred of the Blues is rivalled only by the disdain we feel for our north London neighbours.

So when Pochettino was unveiled as the new Chelsea head coach just three years ago, Spurs fans were furious. For some, that was enough to disavow any positive feelings towards the Argentine. He had done the one thing, aside from joining Arsenal, you simply do not do if you've ever had a connection with Tottenham. What was particularly galling was that he made clear during his time at Tottenham that he understood the rivalry with Chelsea. 

I admit, at that point, I wanted Pochettino to fail at Stamford Bridge. I hated seeing him there. I still loved him and there had even been rumours in the summer of 2023 that he might come back to Spurs. Then, he turned up kitted out in Chelsea colours. His time with the Blues only lasted a year and brought no silverware. Some may see it as an indiscretion and may still yearn for his return to north London. 

I think a part of my love for Pochettino withered away when he joined Chelsea. It felt like all his platitudes about Tottenham, all the times he backed us when we were mocked by Chelsea fans suddenly no longer rang true. But it fell apart there and, even after his jaunt in west London, he spoke about one day hoping to come back to Tottenham.

And now, he is back in the Premier League. But once again, not with Spurs. Pochettino has been confirmed as the new head coach of Manchester United, following the club's sacking of Michael Carrick as they seek to get themselves out of the relegation zone and back to past glories. 

While there is no direct rivalry between Man United and Tottenham, it still feels like a bit of a blow to Spurs fans. I know that life is short and, even with the position United find themselves in, that it is still one of the biggest jobs in the world. But I can't imagine Jürgen Klopp taking a job at another Premier League club other than Liverpool. It feels like he doesn't necessarily feel the same sense of loyalty to Tottenham as he has said he does. 

When United visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium later this season, Pochettino will most likely be met with more cheers than boos. He remains a key figure in Tottenham's folklore, he so nearly brought us our first league title since 1961 and who could forget his tears of joy on that famous evening in Amsterdam?

I still have a soft spot for Pochettino -- but it has admittedly diminished following his move to Chelsea and now his return to the Premier League but not to Tottenham. Whether it will work out for him at United is anyone's guess -- that once-great club has a huge amount of problems to sort out and something needs to change at board level. 

If Pochettino does ever come back some day, and it feels increasingly less likely as time passes by, then it won't be quite as sweet a reunion as it would have been before he took over at Chelsea and United. The relationship has been tainted. That doesn't necessarily mean that, should the stars align one day, Pochettino wouldn't be welcome back at the club that turned him into a truly big name. 

But things have changed plenty since 2019. Pochettino's loyalty to Tottenham has wavered. Perhaps the past is best left in the past. 

So good luck at United, Poch. You're going to need it.