Pochettino: Premier League return 'always my goal' — SkimNews
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- Mauricio Pochettino told Sky Sports News his ambition after the USA contract ends is 'to win the Premier League, to be in the Premier League and to build a project with the possibility of winning,' framing the USMNT role as a four-year chapter rather than a final stop.
- Pochettino signed a surprise four-year extension last month to stay with the USA men's team through 2030, after guiding the host nation to the World Cup last 16 where they were knocked out by Belgium.
- Pochettino confirmed clubs approached him during the World Cup — with AC Milan among those linked — but said 'we never gave the opportunity to be close. We always closed the door before it got close.'
- Pochettino said a Tottenham return was 'never close' this time despite the club cycling through Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor after Ange Postecoglou's sacking and flirting with relegation.
- Pochettino assessed his old clubs Tottenham and Chelsea as both pivoting to buying Premier League-ready players, with a mischievous smile when asked what he would have done with the kind of £300m budget Spurs now wield.
- Pochettino called Arsenal's Mikel Arteta 'the best coach in the Premier League today,' while urging patience for Chelsea's Xabi Alonso after their defeat to Arsenal.
- Pochettino admitted the 'politics and manipulation' around Folarin Balogun's suspended suspension overshadowed the Belgium game, and said he has deliberately given Balogun space after his collapsed Deadline Day move from Monaco to Everton.
- Pochettino's touchline navy ensemble at the World Cup became its own headline — Wayne Rooney went out and bought the outfit, which Pochettino approved: 'He looked good on him, like a top coach.'
Why it matters: Pochettino has publicly placed himself back on the Premier League market with a hard 2030 expiration date, giving Tottenham, Chelsea and any other interested club a clear runway. His pointed comments on Spurs' new £300m spending approach — delivered with a mischievous smile — sharpen the comparison to his own low-budget title challenge there.
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