OPINION
The blood of many Tottenham fans is bound to boil over after they read Paul Merson’s latest column on Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the Champions League final.
The former Arsenal player used his latest Daily Star column to claim that Pochettino should quit Spurs if his side beat Liverpool to the Champions League trophy on Saturday.
Merson shared that he thinks there will be no more for Pochettino to realistically achieve at Tottenham if he wins the Champions League as it’s not like he is about to be handed a £200million transfer budget for next season.
“If he wins it, what more can he possibly do at Spurs?” pondered Merson in his Daily Star column.
“The Champions League is the ultimate club competition. I don’t think it’s the hardest thing to win. But it’s the biggest.
“No-one could ever call him a loser again or say his teams choke on the big stage. He would earn maximum respect.
“But let’s face it. He’s not getting £200m to spend next season. Not with the new stadium to pay for. And his team finished miles behind Manchester City.
“Pochettino is not catching City any time soon. Not with Pep Guardiola there and a pit full of money.
“So why stay? He’ll have taken Spurs as far as he can. I think he will walk away if he wins this trophy. And not one Tottenham fan could moan about it.”
Given that Pochettino is loved by Spurs fans and key to any future success the club may have, Merson’s remarks are bound to anger them.
Not only is it ridiculous to suggest that Pochettino quits after finally seeing his hard-work with the current squad pay off in the form of a trophy, Merson is not exactly Mystic Meg nor in the know about Spurs, so how can he confidently say the Spurs boss won’t be handed the funds to improve his side?
While Tottenham haven’t spent in the last two windows, it seems likely the summer window will see Spurs at spend a notable amount.
In fact the Daily Mirror reported that Pochettino was set to be given a chunk of the money racked up due to Spurs’ reaching the Champions League final, and given that Liverpool got £72million from the competition last season, it’s bound to be a significant sum.
So how can Merson rule out the fact that Pochettino could potentially be given the tools to build on winning the Champions League, if he does triumph, as it might see the club transform into genuine Premier League title contenders.
Also why has Merson tried to throw doubt on the Spurs manager’s future ahead of the biggest game in the club’s recent history?
Spurs fans don’t want their manager or their team to be needlessly distracted ahead of facing Liverpool and Merson’s timing of his column is dubious to say the least, as he could have shared his view weeks ago.
So with all that mind, it’s hard to imagine a Tottenham fan appreciating Merson’s latest claim about Pochettino.