Tottenham would miss out on compensation if Mauricio Pochettino joins Newcastle

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Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP22 April 2020

Tottenham would miss out on compensation if former manager Mauricio Pochettino finishes the season as Newcastle United boss.

Pochettino has emerged as a leading target for Newcastle's prospective new owners, who are close to completing a £300million takeover from Mike Ashley – pending Premier League approval.

The Argentine was placed on gardening leave after being 'relieved of his duties' by Spurs in November but under the terms of his departure the Londoners are only due compensation if he takes a new job within six months. The deadline is set to pass on May 19, two days after the League season was due to end.

With a June restart now being considered for the Premier League, Newcastle's new owners could replace Steve Bruce for the run-in, raising the intriguing possibility of Pochettino facing his former club this season, with Spurs yet to visit St. James' Park.

A far likelier scenario, however, is that Bruce finishes the current season before a new manager is appointed in the summer break.

PCP Capital Partners, a Saudi-backed consortium, want a high-profile successor to Bruce, with Pochettino, former Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez, Massimiliano Allegri and Lucien Favre thought to be among their targets.

Spurs are continuing to pay Pochettino's full £8.5million salary and, given the circumstances, would welcome the opportunity to remove him from the wage bill at the earliest opportunity, even without earning compensation.

Spurs have been forced to enter talks with Pochettino – as well as his coaches Jesus Perez, Miguel D'Agostino and Toni Jimenez, who also remain on the pay-roll – about a wage deferral to ease the pressure on the club's finances during the coronavirus pandemic.

The club is continuing to negotiate with the squad and Pochettino's successor, Jose Mourinho, who is thought to earn almost double his predecessor at £15m a year.

Mauricio Pochettino's best results as Tottenham boss

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The consortium hoping to buy Newcastle is led by financier Amanda Staveley and includes Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and controller of one of the world's wealthiest sovereign funds.

If the takeover is approved by the Premier League, it promises to transform Newcastle into one of English football's financial heavyweights.

The deal has sparked controversy, however, with Amnesty International warning the Premier League it "risks becoming a patsy" unless it considers Saudi Arabia's human rights record before sanctioning the deal. English football's biggest overseas broadcaster, beIN Sport, has also lobbied the Premier League against the deal, citing Saudi Arabia's record of piracy of football matches .

Former Southampton and Espanyol boss Pochettino has hinted his next job will be in England or Spain but it is unclear if he would be attracted by a move to Newcastle under new ownership.

In Pochettino's five and a half years at Spurs, the club had a net spend of less than £100m and he consistently highlighted their contrasting approach to their wealthier top-six rivals, despite growing frustrated with the slow turnover of the squad in his final two seasons.

In May, Pochettino revealed he was unsure if he would want to manage a club with boundless wealth. "Would I like to be a City or a Liverpool? To some extent yes and to some extent no," Pochettino said. "I prefer to fight for something that can be historical, unique."

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