Mauricio Pochettino Expresses Desire to Return to Premier League
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has expressed that he is "missing" the Premier League and hopes to return in the future.
Pochettino, who is currently focused on preparing the United States for the 2026 World Cup as head coach, has had three separate tenures in the English top flight. He initially joined Southampton after leaving Espanyol, before moving on to Tottenham, where he led the team to the Champions League final in 2019, and later managed Chelsea.
In an interview with BBC Sport, he stated, "The Premier League is the best league in the world. Of course I am missing it. I am so happy in America but also thinking one day to come back to the Premier League. It’s the most competitive league."
Despite a successful 18-month period at Paris Saint-Germain, where he secured the Ligue 1 title and the French Cup, critics often point to the absence of major trophies in his career. This apparent lack of silverware particularly stings from his time at Tottenham.
The 53-year-old managed Spurs for five years from 2014 to 2019, achieving a second-place finish in the Premier League during the 2016-17 season, reaching the EFL Cup final in 2015, and competing in the final of Europe’s elite club competition. "I think we were so close at Tottenham; we nearly touched it [winning the Champions League and Premier League]. That is something I would want to achieve," Pochettino remarked, noting that he remains in contact with Daniel Levy, the chairman who dismissed him.
Levy, 63, unexpectedly stepped down from his role as executive chairman at Tottenham in September after 24 years, during which the club won the 2008 EFL Cup and the 2025 Europa League, in addition to moving into a new stadium. Pochettino expressed his surprise at Levy's departure, stating, "His legacy is there. It’s amazing what he did for the club. My relationship with him was always good, both during my time at Tottenham and after I left. He was a really important person because he gave me the opportunity to manage a club like Tottenham, which I consider one of the best clubs in the world with an amazing fanbase."
'The language of football is universal'
In September 2024, Pochettino took on the challenge of leading the United States in the World Cup that they will co-host with Canada and Mexico. However, his journey has not been without challenges. He has won 11 of his 20 matches in charge, with losses to teams such as Mexico (twice), Panama, Canada, Turkey, Switzerland, and South Korea drawing criticism.
Pochettino has also encountered difficulties in changing the culture and mindset of his players and has expressed dissatisfaction with arriving at home matches only to find that visiting supporters outnumber American fans. This comes as he adjusts to the unique demands of being an international coach.
He elaborated, "The intensity is completely different because you need to arrive for a few days to prepare for a game, play, prepare for another game, play, and then go back. After November, we will have three months until March to prepare for another game. In a national team, you are eager to coach the players. You feel empty because after the second game, you cannot communicate or continue working on improvements."
The United States has only reached the World Cup quarter-finals once, in 2002. Since the formation of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1995, the league has experienced significant growth, highlighted by Lionel Messi's arrival in 2023, which reflects a changing landscape. Pochettino noted, "I think players like Messi are inspiring kids. Now, when they want to play sports, they also want to play soccer, not just basketball, American football, or baseball."
He added, "The motivation is massive. Sometimes you feel that people don’t understand too much. Some coaches say, 'You need to know the culture of the American player.' I say, 'No, I understand the most important thing - the culture of football and soccer. We need to translate the culture of football to the American player.' After one year, I believe we are making great progress. We are building ideas with the understanding that the language of football is universal, regardless of whether you are American, Brazilian, or English. Our football is about competing in the way you need to compete if you want to win."