OPINION
The last thing that Tottenham chief Daniel Levy will want is other clubs sniffing around his side’s top stars while Mauricio Pochettino is the gleaming gem in the crown of the north Londoners.
The Argentine boss is widely heralded as the secret behind their rise to power in the Premier League and in Europe and rightly so, the former Southampton man bringing an exciting brand of football to the club while also establishing a reputation of developing and improving players both young and old.
Simply put, Levy would like Pochettino to remain untouchable for as long as possible, for he is the Lilywhites’ greatest asset apart from perhaps their new stadium and Harry Kane.
It is why Dimitar Berbatov, a cult hero at Spurs, will have struck fear into the heart of the Tottenham chief with his claims about the Argentinian manager.
The Bulgarian was revered at Tottenham before his departure to Manchester United and he has predicted that Pochettino could follow in his own footsteps to the north west and Old Trafford.
Speaking to the Daily Mail about the troubles of both his former sides, he said: ” They both need to call me back!
“But United will be fine. They are not in a good way, but will they be winning trophies in five years? Yes. That is why I signed, and that is why I would follow that intuition even today.
“Sometimes, you need to get out of your comfort zone, even if you’re afraid of the consequences. You need to do that to test yourself. And Pochettino could be a United manager.”
Words no Tottenham fan wants to read but the unfortunate truth for the club.
Manchester United are still a giant of English football, in a completely different stratosphere to where Spurs currently stand, and it would be a fresh challenge for Pochettino to prove himself as a manager.
He has takes Tottenham from fringe figures to top four regulars – now it is about looking upwards for the titles – and Levy will be terrified Berbatov’s prediction could come true.