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RETURN: Mauricio Pochettino is back as coach, and back at the club he played for in the early 2000s. Photo: PSG
He has been unemployed since November 2019, but now Mauricio Pochettino (48) is back in the ring. He assumes the managerial position at PSG, the club he played for in the early 2000s.
This is confirmed by PSG on Saturday afternoon on its website.
– I am very happy and honored to be the new coach of Paris Saint-Germain, says Pochettino, who has signed a contract that runs until the summer of 2022, with the option of one more year.
– I want to thank the club’s management for the trust they have given me. This club has always had a special place in my heart. I have wonderful memories of here, says Pochettino.
Long hiatus from soccer
Pochettino has been unemployed since he was fired by Tottenham in November 2019, just months after leading the London club to the club’s first Champions League final.
The Argentine was replaced by José Mourinho and, as unemployed, Pochettino was frequently mentioned as a possible replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Manchester United.
But now it’s Paris, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and the rest of the club’s gallery of stars from the French capital who are waiting.
He takes over PSG after Thomas Tuchel, who ended his big club career with a 4-0 win over Strasbourg on December 23. The next day, on Christmas Eve, Tuchel is said to have been notified of the dismissal, but this was not officially confirmed until December 29.
PSG are in third place in Ligue 1, one point behind Lyon and Lille. Earlier this fall, PSG secured promotion to the Champions League and a great quarter-final match against Barcelona awaits them in February.
PSG is back
However, PSG as a club and Paris as a city are not unknown to the 48-year-old. In his playing career, he scored 95 games for Paris Saint-Germain. PSG brought him to the club from Espanyol in 2001.
Then PSG weren’t as big as they are today, and they left the club with a trophy: the UEFA Intertoto Cup, a European football tournament for teams that didn’t qualify for the Champions League or Europa League.
Pochettino went to Bordeaux for free after two and a half years at PSG. As an active player, he also represented the Argentine Newell’s, as well as the Argentine national team.
He began his managerial career in 2009, at Espanyol. Then the trip went to the English south coast and Southampton, before being taken to Tottenham.
In 2016, Pochettino spoke about one day returning to PSG as a coach:
“Training PSG one day is part of my dreams,” said the Argentine, who has now made that dream come true.
