MAURICIO POCHETTINO has backtracked on claims he would never manage Barcelona due to his allegiance to rivals Espanyol.
The former Tottenham boss had previously said that he would prefer to work on a farm than manage the Catalan giants.
Mauricio Pochettino has backtracked on his claim that he wouldn’t manage BarcelonaCredit: PA:Press Association
The Argentine was linked to Barca after their dismal 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
But Pochettino said he wasn’t approached for the role saying: “At no time did I receive an offer from Barca.”
A relationship between the club and Pochettino seemed unlikely as he shared his disdain for them in past interviews.
When quizzed on his views in an interview with Fox Sport Argentina, Pochettino said: “I was wrong in the way I transmitted that it would be impossible in the future to direct Barcelona.”
Pochettino used to play for and then went on to manage Espanyol, Barca’s bitter local rivals.
In 2017, Pochettino set tongues wagging when he was pictured in a restaurant speaking to Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
He swiftly put an end to any rumours by stating: “Many people say hello and you spend five minutes together. That’s the reality.
“I’m an Espanyol supporter. I don’t need to speak too much.”
But since his sacking from Spurs, he seems to have had a change of heart.
Speaking to El Pais he said: “I made a name for myself at Espanyol. But I’m not arrogant and I didn’t like making a statement like that.
“Maybe now I wouldn’t because in life you never know what will happen.”
Tottenham ask sacked Pochettino to take pay cut on severance package due to coronavirus shutdown
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
