MAURICIO POCHETTINO would be open to an approach from England if Gareth Southgate quits after the Euros.
Poch is on the market following his shock departure from Chelsea after less than a year at the Stamford Bridge helm.
The Argentine former Spurs and PSG chief will be targeted by Manchester United and Bayern Munich – with the German giants able to offer him the chance to link up once more with Harry Kane and Eric Dier.
But while Pochettino will weigh up his options over his next move – and is determined to prove the problem was Chelsea rather than him – he has not dismissed the possibility of becoming the next Three Lions chief if the role becomes available.
Southgate has made it clear he will park all and any discussion about his England future until after the tournament in Germany this summer.
The England manager’s contract runs to the end of the year and FA chiefs want him to stay at the helm up to the 2026 World Cup.
All the indications are that Southgate will be minded to continue if he believes the nation and his squad want him to remain in charge but that he has set the performance bar for his players as a high one.
Yet Pochettino’s sudden and unexpected availability could see him become a viable candidate.
Pochettino remains close to Kane and Dier, while he has overseen the development of Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill.
His relationships with Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are more tricky after they both left Spurs under a cloud during his N17 reign.
But both are coming to the end of their England careers, making a Poch appointment less problematic if the FA are inclined to go down that path.
Pochettino’s knowledge of the England players is unquestioned after his three spells in Prem management – including at Southampton where he developed the likes of Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez into Three Lions internationals.
Walker, Trippier, Dier, Dele Alli and Kane all became England fixtures under his Spurs tutelage, while Harry Winks, Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend earned caps while playing for him.
This season Palmer’s remarkable first full Prem term has been another tick on the development box for Poch, who knows he will be a man in demand.
