'Pochettino's US compensation means imminent Spurs return unlikely'

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino had sections of his former club's fanbase giddy with excitement last week after he declared his desire to one day return to Tottenham.

It isn't a new concept, Pochettino has previously been clear in his wish to become Spurs head coach for a second period - but the current conjecture over incumbent Ange Postecoglou's future has sharpened the issue.

The Argentine remains a hero among some of the regulars at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Joining in 2014, Pochettino led the team to second and third placed finishes in the Premier League and a Champions League final.

Photos of Pochettino sharing a coffee with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, that went viral on social media last week, served only to amplify affections among supporters who pine for his return.

The fact the photos are not recent, certainly not taken over the past 10 days, won't quell the fervour.

Pochettino is under pressure in his current job. With a home World Cup in 2026 just 15 months away, his US side have lost consecutive Concacaf Nations League matches in the past week - beaten by Panama and Canada.

Yet, dig deeper and you realise the prospect of the 53-year-old returning to Spurs any time soon is hugely unlikely.

The United States Soccer Federation would be owed what has been described by a well-placed source as "one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history" if Pochettino was to leave for Spurs - or any other team for that matter - before the next World Cup.

Chelsea's £21m payment to Brighton to land Graham Potter after sacking Thomas Tuchel in 2022 and Bayern Munich's £21m to Red Bull Leipzig to pave the way for Julian Nagelsmann's appointment in 2021 are, according to reports, ranked as the two largest managerial compensation packages in history.

Pochettino signed a two-year contract in September, with multiple reports stating he earns £4.6m a year.

However, it is understood the sum US Soccer would recoup if Pochettino leaves before next year's tournament, which they are hosting along with Canada and Mexico, extends way beyond the his salary and much closer to the amount Chelsea and Bayern, respectively, paid to land Potter and Nagelsmann.

Pochettino's recent remarks appeared to swing the door open towards him replacing Postecoglou should the Australian lose his job before next season.

"I am in the USA, so I am not going to talk about that now - but what I said then I still, after six years or five years, feel in my heart," he said last week. "Yes, I would like one day to come back."

However, according to well-placed sources, Pochettino has no immediate wish to return to Spurs. He is said to be fully committed to leading the US to a home World Cup.

Of course, the mammoth cost of releasing Pochettino from his current deal lends itself to a singular focus, with the notion of any club - particularly one with a chairman as financially astute as Daniel Levy - parting with such a sizeable sum as being far-fetched.

Yet, you get the sense Pocehttino's desire to lead the US to the World Cup is genuine and not a mindset borne out of stipulations relating to his contract.

Indeed, during the same interviews in which he re-affirmed his intention to one day return to Tottenham, the South American spoke of his engagement with his new team and the project ahead.

"For us, the pressure is going to be there [at the World Cup] because we are a host," he said.

"And then it's a country where the mentality is about winning. In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win.

"The players know it's going to be massive pressure and now our president [Trump] likes to put pressure on, but it's welcome. That means we are going to feel the adrenaline we need to feel. We are ready to deliver."

Much of the hype surrounding Pochettino's hypothetical return to Spurs stems from the fact Postecoglou is by no means certain of remaining in charge heading into next season.

Tottenham's disappointing season leaves him under scrutiny. They are in 14th place in the Premier League, having accumulated 34 points. Even if they win all their remaining nine matches, they would still fall short of last season's points total of 66.

Their wait for a domestic trophy will extend into next season after being eliminated from both cup competitions.

Postecoglou's only saving grace is Tottenham's run in the Europa League; they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals next month.

Of course, if Spurs win that competition the season takes on a very different complexion. Not only would success in Europe end the club's 17-year wait for silverware but it would also see them qualify for next season's Champions League.

Such a scenario would surely see Postecoglou strengthen his position.

That is easier said than done, of course. Indeed, failure to win the Europa League would raise further uncertainty over Postecoglou's job moving forward.

All current indications are that Tottenham want to get to the end of the season before reviewing the campaign and come to a decision.

Results, though, will likely dictate the club's approach.

Sunday's defeat by arch-rivals Canada has taken Pochettino's record as US head coach to five wins and three losses.

Prior to the current international break, Pochettino's win ratio since replacing Gregg Berhalter in September was healthier. But losing to Panama - 1-0 in the semi-final of the Concacaf Nations League - and 2-1 to Canada in the third-placed play-off, has led to some negativity.

Pochettino quickly moved to quell any disquiet after Sunday's defeat, saying: 'I've seen some times that teams that were building to play in the World Cup, they were not good until around the World Cup.

"I want to send a message to the fans, don't be pessimistic and don't get bad feelings.

"I think we have time because if we will be in this situation in one year time, for sure, I will tell you, 'Houston, we have a problem,' no?" Pochettino said.

"In one year, if we're talking about that, it's because we have a big problem and we were not capable to discover, to try design a better strategy to provide to the team the capacity to play in a different way.

"I think we have time and I prefer that that happened today than [you] know, in one year."

Nevertheless, with around 15 months until the World Cup starts, this month's results will have fans apprehensive.