Pochettino explains why he’ll never join Barcelona

Matt Stead

Mauricio Pochettino has explained why he will never become Barcelona manager.

Pochettino was appointed Tottenham boss in summer 2014 after impressing in the Premier League with Southampton, and he has turned the north Londoners into genuine title contenders.

They sit third in the Premier League table after 20 games, with Pochettino looking to establish them as one of the country’s leading clubs.

The Argentinean has earned a reputation as one of the continent’s leading coaches as a result, with Real Madrid and Barcelona linked in recent weeks.

Pochettino leaving Tottenham for one of Spanish football’s giants was one of our ten predictions for 2017, but the 44-year-old has ruled out joining Barcelona in the future.

Speaking to the BBC after the 2-0 FA Cup victory over Aston Villa, Pochettino was asked of the Catalan club’s reported interest in him.

He replied that he was “born with a bull in his arm” – a reference to his history with bitter rivals Espanyol, for whom he played before becoming their manager.