‘It was after Emery’: 51-year-old manager turned down the chance to become

Mauricio Pochettino rejected an approach from Arsenal after the club parted company with Unai Emery in 2019.

That is according to Football London journalist Alasdair Gold, who spoke on his YouTube channel amid the news that Chelsea is closing in on appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager.

Few would have probably expected when Graham Potter was sacked that he would be replaced, in the meantime, by Frank Lampard. And even fewer probably imagined that Pochettino would find himself in a pole position to be the permanent successor.

Pochettino turned down Arsenal after Emery sacking

But it seems that that is the case. The Guardian reports that there is growing confidence that the Argentinian will take over at Stamford Bridge. In fact, confirmation of an appointment could come soon.

It is certainly a punch in the gut for Tottenham supporters. Pochettino remains a hugely popular figure amongst their fans. So to see him join one of their biggest rivals is a bit of a shock.

Gold may perhaps have reason to be more surprised than most. The journalist was reflecting on the fact that the 51-year-old looks to be on the verge of going in at Chelsea – and how Pochettino is more than aware of the rivalry between the two clubs.

He added that he had already had to respond to an offer from Arsenal a few years back.

“It will only increase the pressure on Levy because Pochettino’s going to have a press conference,” he told his YouTube channel. “He’s going to be asked about the Spurs stuff and the Spurs job no doubt as well. He once said Chelsea was actually Spurs’ biggest rival, not Arsenal – probably to wind up Arsenal no doubt.

“And he did turn down Arsenal from what I understand. I think it was after Emery left, it would have been. He turned down an approach from them.”

How history could have been so different

It would be fascinating to think about what would have happened had Pochettino accepted an approach from Arsenal in 2019.

Certainly, you would think that there would be absolutely no chance of Spurs fans singing for him in 2023. That would be seen as a huge betrayal if he had gone to the Emirates shortly after he left Tottenham.

And of course, Mikel Arteta would not have gone in at Arsenal when he did.

Whoever replaced Emery had plenty of work on their hands. It cannot be forgotten that Arteta seemed to be on the brink on more than one occasion. And the fans could not hide their displeasure with his regime for some time.

Surely, the board would not be able to show the same patience if a former Tottenham boss endured the same struggles in that period.