Tottenham Fans Fret Over Barcelona Vacancy

News that Barcelona coach Luis Enrique would not be staying on with the Catalan club next season sent shivers down the spine of Tottenham supporters on Wednesday.

Following his side’s 6-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijón, Enrique announced that his three years — in which he won seven of nine trophies available to Barca — were to end in the summer. Rumors immediately began to spread about his successor, with Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino included near the top of the list.

Included with Pochettino in these whispers were also Everton’s Ronald Koeman and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger — the latter of which has long been linked with a move to the club.

Pochettino’s success with Tottenham always threatened to attract suitors. Indeed, around this time last year fans were experiencing palpitations about a meeting with Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson that, thankfully, ended up being innocuous.

It would rightfully be said that, at this point, a post at Barcelona comes with a lot more prestige than a post at United. The chance to work within such well-monied infrastructure and with some of the best players on the planet could be too tempting for even the most settled of coaches.

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The betting odds currently favor two of Enrique’s current rivals in La Liga to take the helm. Jorge Sampaoli already enjoyed immense success with Chile and is now leading Sevilla on a fine run of form. Athletic Bilbao manager Ernsesto Valverde could also be considered after his fruitful efforts with the Basque club.

Such odds should settle the nerves of even the most paranoid Tottenham fan. There are other factors, too, that make a move unlikely for Pochettino.

For one thing, Pochettino played two stints — 254 appearances in all — then managed Barcelona’s local rivals Espanyol for three seasons. The derby between the two teams might not get the publicity of El Clásico but it remains one of the most fiercely fought matches in Spain. Pochettino himself has cited his loyalty to the club as a reason he wouldn’t move to Barcelona in the past.

Another, perhaps more important, factor is that Pochettino himself is very satisfied with his place at Tottenham. The team is competing for the Champions League for the second year running and, with the construction of a new stadium due in 2018/19, the future only looks bright. Pochettino has little reason to jump ship just three years into his voyage with the north London club.

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As quoted by ESPN, Pochettino recently left little reason to doubt his commitment to the club.

"“I’m at Tottenham. I am very happy, [I have] four more years of my contract, enjoying an exciting project. It’s true it’s not an easy project, but I’m very happy here.”"

Fans, then, can rest easy in the knowledge that Pochettino won’t be abandoning the club that earned him so much acclaim anytime soon.