Daniel Levy leaves door open for Pochettino to make Spurs return

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Daniel Levy has told the London Evening Standard that it was incredibly difficult to sack Mauricio Pochettino, but suggested that the door will be left open for the Argentinian to make a future return to Tottenham Hotspur.

Heading into this season, few could have imagined that Pochettino and Spurs would have gone their separate ways by the end of November.

But as Tottenham’s poor start to the campaign continued, it seemed more and more inevitable that a change was going to be made. And ultimately, Pochettino’s departure was announced with Jose Mourinho being unveiled as his successor shortly after.

The time it took for Mourinho’s arrival to be confirmed added to the sense that it was an incredibly ruthless move from Levy. But the Spurs chairman explained just how tough it was to let Pochettino go.

“You have to understand I had built up a personal relationship with Mauricio over five-and-a-half years,” he told the London Evening Standard. “It is not something I ever wanted. Personally, it was ­incredibly difficult, I told him that and he understood.

“He’s been in football [a long time], he understands. It’s not personal and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger and get an opportunity to manage another great club. Maybe one day he’ll come back to us.”

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Levy’s decision was hard to criticise. Sadly, there seemed to be a real sense of resignation from all sides, perhaps including Pochettino, that it was time to move on.

And the early signs suggest that it was the correct move from Levy. Mourinho has won five of his first seven games. They are now three points off the top four in the Premier League and have booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

There is still plenty to prove. It will be intriguing to see how Mourinho gets on once Tottenham are back in a position to challenge for silverware. But it is so far, so good for the Special One.