Real Madrid end interest in Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino was among the favourites to replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane shocked Florentino Perez and Real Madrid faithful when he announced his resignation as manager earlier this week. Ever since the announcement, the speculations surrounding the new manager have gathered pace. Mauricio Pochettino’s name was among the front-runners for the job, given Perez’s fondness for the manager and his history with managing in Spain.

However, according to Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague, Real Madrid have decided to end their interest in the Argentine manager. Balague reports that the Spanish giants are unwilling to deal with Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy, who comes along as a hard customer. Levy proved to be a tough negotiator when Real Madrid signed Luka Modric and Gareth Bale.

Guillem Balague says that Real Madrid like Pochettino, as the manager’s playing style suits that of the club. He also has experience in managing star players, and is equally adaptable in the development of youth players. However, the lack of release clause and the possibility of dealing with Daniel Levy has forced Real’s hand to end their interest in the Argentine manager.

“What they [Real Madrid] had in front of them was the possibility of negotiating with Daniel Levy for perhaps a month, even longer, with no guarantees whatsoever that they were going to get him,” Sky quoted Balague as saying.

“They know that Levy is a very tough negotiator, with Florentino [Perez, Real Madrid’s president] having been in touch with him in recent seasons. They’ve decided to abandon the possibility of signing Mauricio Pochettino,” the Sky journalist added.

Guillem Balague also insisted that the recent development has made life difficult for Real Madrid, as there is no ‘automatic candidate’ to replace Zidane after Pochettino. “They will have to look at other possibilities including all the managers that are already in a job with a contract,” said Balague.