Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says ‘when Real Madrid call you have to listen’ but denies Bernabeu release clause exists

At the Bernabeu | Pochettino on the touchline during Tottenham's Champions League clash with Real Madrid
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino has hinted he would find it hard to turn down Real Madrid despite saying he was happy at Tottenham.

Pochettino is thought to be Real’s first choice to succeed Zinedine Zidane, who resigned yesterday after winning three consecutive Champions League titles.

Only last week Pochettino signed a new five-year deal with Tottenham, worth about £8.5million per year. Speaking at an event in Barcelona, the Argentine said he was enjoying life at Spurs and confirmed there was no clause in his contract that would permit him to speak to the European champions.

Yet Pochettino also suggested that he would want to be given the chance to consider his options should the approach come from the Bernabeu.

He said: “When Real Madrid call you, you have to listen to them. Although in this case it doesn’t depend on me. I have just signed a long contract with Tottenham and I am very happy here.

“I am happy at Tottenham because they let me work and we are growing together. Right now I want to focus on planning for next season and keep out of all the things that are being said. There will be lots of rumours, lots of things said, but I have no news from Real Madrid.”

He added to Spanish publication El Confidencial: “I’m working very comfortably at Tottenham and it’s my obligation to focus on that. I do not want, nor can I, comment on Zidane going but what he has done is undoubtedly very big: no one has won three Champions Leagues in a row recently.”

​Pochettino added that there was no written or verbal agreement with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy allowing him to join Real. He also said that it would be disrespectful to Levy to try to force a move away.

Tottenham are confident they will be able to resist any approach for Pochettino from Real, particularly as it would cost the European champions at least £42.5m to buy him out of his new contract.

Joachim Low, the Germany manager, is thought to be another name on Real’s shortlist, but the 58-year-old has a contract with the national side until 2022 and any approach would have to wait until after next month’s World Cup.

Despite Pochettino’s comments and Spurs’s bullish attitude, Real are used to getting what they want and Pochettino has openly flirted with the Spanish club in the past.

In January, the 46-year-old refused to rule out managing Real when asked directly if he could succeed Zidane.

And Pochettino added today: “We’re a great group of people. The technical staff, the board and the players we all believe in this project. We want to make the new stadium a reference in football. And we see people want to be part of this special project.

“The link now with Madrid is normal and I take it with all normality. I’m committed to Spurs and still have a long contract with them I just signed.

“I am very happy to be at Tottenham. Let’s enjoy this moment now and in the future see what happens.”

Mauricio Pochettino's best results as Tottenham boss

1/24

Several Spurs stars, notably captain Hugo Lloris and star midfielder Christian Eriksen, feel their future is tied to Pochettino’s and they could yet delay on committing to the club until Real have a new manager in place.

Tottenham would also like Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Kieran Trippier, Heung Min Son and Jan Vertonghen to sign new deals before the start of next season, when they plan to move into their new 62,062-seat stadium.

If Pochettino does remain at Spurs, Real’s interest could strengthen his hand in negotiations with Levy ahead of a crucial summer transfer window for the club.

Pochettino has overseen impressive progress since joining Tottenham from Southampton in 2014, guiding the club to three consecutive top-three finishes and the last-16 of the Champions League this season — which included a stunning 3-1 home win and a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in the group stages.

His work has not gone unnoticed in the Premier League, either, and he is also admired at Spurs’s top-six rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in