Inter “linked” to Mauricio Pochettino

Remember last week when we were pretty sure that the Inter job was between Antonio Conte, Diego Simeone, and Luciano Spaletti (which basically meant the next Inter coach was going to be Spaletti)? Well in the past few days both Conte and Simeone all but rejected the idea of joining Inter this summer, which in theory would’ve meant that the big-name speculation would finally be over. Unfortunately that has not turned out to be the case. Reports have emerged today that Inter are pursuing Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino as their next manager. I can’t tell if this is more media speculation or if it is an actual plan by Suning, but either way please stop this.

If these rumors are true and Suning is actually trying to lure the Argentine manager to Italy, why on earth do the Inter owners think this would go any better than the attempts to get Conte or Simeone? While the Spurs coach apparently has a release clause (€5m) which would make things easier to deal with the club itself, there is still little reason he would actually agree to the move. Pochettino is in charge of a young incredibly talented side and if he was a rational human being he would never want to give that up for the dumpster fire that is currently (always?) Inter. Even an offer that would increase his current salary to €10m per year shouldn’t be enough. The reports suggest that Piero Ausilio is traveling to London to try to convince the 45 year old to buy into the Inter project and Pochettino should laugh him out of the building.

If on the other hand the former Espanyol boss was willing to join the Milanese club, that would be all kinds of great. He favors a 4-2-3-1 formation similar to the one had been playing under Stefano Pioli. It utilizes a pressing formation like every manager has tried to teach the Inter players to various degrees of sucess, while his arrival would gertainly be a boost to Gabigol since he prefers creative attackers in the supporting 3 that like to run and can switch around with their teammates to cause confusion. I would expect to see both him and Banega thrive in Pochettino’s system. Of course all of this is just fantasy because it will never happen.

Honestly at this point I wouldn’t be surprised to see us reportedly offering €12m per year to Zidane, or €15m to Guardiola next week. These rumors are getting more and more crazy, so why not go all the way. I’m sure by the time the season ends we’ll be seeing reports that Suning are investing in a way to bring Helenio Herrera back from the dead and offer him €10m a year to coach this Inter side. Wouldn’t it be great to see him tearing into Marcelo Brozovic though...?