Potchetino is believed to have met the PSG hierarchy last week to discuss the 2021-22 campaign, in which his team won Ligue 1 but lost to eventual winner Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League. It is understood that the conversation led to a mutual decision that the former PSG captain will not continue at the Parc des Princes dugout, with the two sides finding a separation to be the most logical step. As Pochettino’s contract was scheduled to expire in 2023, his departure has yet to be finalized. But the club is already looking for their new leader. The Christophe Galtier of Nice is considered to be among the various options. Pochettino’s departure will follow that of sporting director Leonardo last week. He was replaced by Luis Campos, who will work as a football consultant for PSG. Pochettino had the opportunity to leave the French capital last summer – Real put him at the top of the list to succeed Zinedine Zidane and Tottenham have shown keen interest in naming their former manager as a replacement for Jose Mourinho. move for the 50-year-old – did not materialize. This was followed by Pochettino becoming PSG’s third boss to take them to the European Cup semi-finals, defeating Barcelona inspired by Lionel Messi and defending champions Bayern Munich on the road. His categories also boosted the French Cup, and while he’s surprisingly won the crown of the top division from Lille, Pochettino had inherited a team that was third when he took over Thomas Tuchel in January 2021 and improved his points-per-game ratio. In another case, their ownership of Qatar changed midfielder in the middle of the season – replacing Antoine Compouare with Carlo Ancelotti in December 2011 – and this, too, failed to lead to a league triumph. Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Messi and Nuno Mendes were recruited at significant expense to strengthen Pochettino’s team and sealed the French title faster than their counterparts in England, Germany, Italy and Spain. . They did it by a wide margin and Manchester City were the only winners to score more points, although questions remained about the style of play and the fans expressed their dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, ongoing ties with potential employers such as Manchester United have become the subject of Pochettino’s tenure. He surprised City to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League with Tottenham in 2019, but his PSG was eliminated from it in 2021 and the nature of the collapse against Real in March seemed fatal for his future. Barcelona, Bayern Munch, City and Real had a stint in 10 of Pochettino’s 14 Champions League games at PSG, but ended up with the same result as Tuhel, Unai Emery, Laurent Blanc and Ancelotti. Each of these Blanc bar quartets continued to work at the elite level and then amassed large European silverware, indicating that there was life outside of PSG. There has been criticism of what Pochettino has been able to achieve with the resources at his disposal, but the comparable challenges faced by these predecessors suggest that PSG’s unique environment may not be the most accurate barometer of coaching ability. His arrival in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic did not help him, nor did the protests and anger directed at some players and executives at the games. The side damage that Pochettino has seen outweighs PSG, as the long-term favorite to secure a place at United lost Eric ten Hague. Given how close he came to this vacancy and the view that the former Espanyol and Southampton coach seems to be retaining across the industry, there is a good chance he will remain in contention for leadership opportunities in the future. (Photo: Getty Images)
