Tottenham will price Barcelona out of a move for Pochettino
On the surface, the idea that Tottenham could price Barcelona out of a move for their manager seems almost laughable. Unfortunately for the La Liga giants, that’s just what will happen if they try to pry the Argentine gaffer away from White Hart Lane.
The Mirror are reporting that Spurs officials are very confident they can scare Barcelona away with a hefty price tag. Remember, the club locked Pochettino down with a new contract that runs until 2021 this season. Daniel Levy isn’t in the habit of handing out new contracts without it serving as a significant advantage for the club.
It wouldn’t have taken a seer to foresee Pochettino becoming a hot commodity for other clubs. Many Premier League observers thought he might emerge as a real target for Manchester United after they sacked Louis van Gaal last summer. While that never really materialized, it provided everyone at Tottenham a concrete example of the type of club that could come calling down the line.
Barcelona are just the sort of club that Spurs would have been worried about. No matter which side of the Barca-Real Madrid rivalry you fall on, it’s clear that the Catalan giants are among the top handful of clubs in the world. Rarely do you ever see them priced out of a move for a player they truly covet.
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Unfortunately for Barcelona, Daniel Levy isn’t exactly a typical negotiator. He’s let players move to La Liga in the past, but it’s required massive transfer fees. Neither Gareth Bale nor Luka Modric left North London on the cheap. As important as they were to Tottenham, it’s possible that Pochettino is even more crucial to the club’s future.
That realization is precisely why Levy made such a strong move to sign him to a new contract this year. In meeting Pochettino’s wage demands, he was able to craft a deal that is absent of any release clause. That might not have seemed to be a key negotiating point at the time, but it looms as a massive point currently.
In short, it means that Barcelona will have to pay through the nose if they want Pochettino to patrol their sidelines next year. It’s very possible that Levy would require them to pay a fee exceeding anything they might require for one of their most talented players. It’s hard to see Barcelona giving into that sort of demand in an effort to replace Luis Enrique.
Next: Tottenham fans finally agree with Jose Mourinho
Barcelona might have grand designs on bringing Mauricio Pochettino this summer, but they aren’t prepared for Tottenham’s price. The sticker shock will force the Catalan giants to look elsewhere for their new boss.