Pochettino will not disrupt 'destiny' by pushing for Madrid switch

Amid talk of succeeding Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, Mauricio Pochettino say he is enjoying life at Tottenham and will not push to leave.

Published : Jun 01, 2018 16:41 IST

Mauricio Pochettino insists he will not force a switch to Real Madrid, as the Tottenham manager intends to let his football "destiny" play out.

With three-time Champions League winner Zinedine Zidane quitting as Madrid coach on Thursday, the European champions are suddenly required to source a replacement.

Pochettino, despite recently signing a contract renewal at Spurs, has long been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu and features prominently among the favourites.

But the former Southampton boss, in Spain to promote a book on his time at Tottenham, claimed he is content in north London.

"I'm very happy at Tottenham," Pochettino told a news conference. "It would be disrespectful to Daniel [Levy, Tottenham chairman] for me to force a move. I've just renewed with Tottenham and I am happy.

He added to AS: "I live in the present - there is nothing more important than that. I enjoy what is happening and what has to be will be.

"[Newell's Old Boys academy coach] Jorge Griffa once told me that I must let football take me, that I do not want to change my destiny."

Pochettino also put to bed talk of a release clause in his new deal that would allow an easy exit if Madrid came calling.

"No, it's not [true]," he said of the reports. "Neither written nor verbal."

While keen not to play down Zidane's achievements, Pochettino does not believe it is a "brave" step for any coach to follow in the Frenchman's footsteps and take over a world-class squad.

"Zidane deserves huge credit - I am a great admirer of Zidane - but we are talking about players who are the best in the world," he said.

"Do you think coaches will think it is difficult, that you have to be brave to take on a squad like that? I would think the opposite.

"The person who has the opportunity of taking that job will do their own analysis. We are talking about one of the best teams in the history of football."

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