MAURICIO POCHETTINO is set to be named as the new boss of Paris Saint-Germain after the club SACKED Thomas Tuchel.
The former Spurs boss has reportedly already held talks over the role with further negotiations taking place TODAY.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reports contracts and the make up of Pochettino’s backroom staff are said to be the things standing in the way of an official announcement after RMC Sport first reported the ex-Southampton manager was the frontrunner.
It will be an emotional ‘dream’ return to the city for Poch after he skippered the side in his playing career and it was previously revealed that he ‘loves’ Paris.
The 48-year-old recently said: “I have always said that one day it would be a pleasure to manage a big club like Paris, a dream.
“I try to watch all of their games, especially in the Champions League and sometimes I speak with [Paris Saint-Germain assistant coach] Jean-Louis Gasset.”
Earlier this month, French football expert Julien Laurens said: “Pochettino has really good ties with PSG, he was their player, their captain, and he loves Paris as a city and a football club.”
Poch made 95 appearances for PSG between 2001 and 2003.
The French champions have fired Tuchel after two-and-a-half years at the helm, despite qualifying for the Champions League knockout phase.
His job is set to be taken by Argentine Pochettino who has been out of work since being sacked by Daniel Levy in November 2019.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss’ last game in charge was a 4-0 win over Strasbourg on Wednesday.
That result took PSG to just one point behind Ligue 1 top two Lyon and Lille but it was not enough to save the 47-year-old German’s position.
The French giants clearly opted out of the festive spirit this year, giving Tuchel the boot on Christmas Eve after initially handing him the reins in 2018.
He is believed to have been given his marching orders by PSG’s sporting director Leonardo on Wednesday night.
PSG had topped their Champions League group, that included Manchester United who dropped into the Europa League, and are due to face Barcelona in the last 16 in February – but will do so under new guidance.
It was only FOUR months ago that Tuchel had steered Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Co to within 90 minutes of a first ever Champions League crown.
But PSG were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich in last season’s showpiece final and the hunt for European silverware at the Parc des Princes goes on.
Before getting the axe, Tuchel had complained to Sport 1 about a lack of recognition for his work, stating it was ‘sad’ his achievements were underplayed.
In the interview before Wednesday’s game, Tuchel was reported to have claimed it was difficult to keep his big name players happy and even said he felt more like ‘a sports politician or sports minister than a coach’ during his first year in Paris.
But the now departed boss had come out and tried to clarify his comments, suggesting they had been mistranslated and that he was ‘making a joke’.
Speaking to Canal +, Tuchel said: “I didn’t say it’s more about politics than sport, nor that I lost the fun of training. This is not true.
I was making a joke in German. The translation is not correct.”
Thomas Tuchel
“It is possible they translated incorrectly.
“Watch the video interview. I just said that PSG are unique and that it’s a big challenge for me. It’s always been like that. I like this challenge and nothing has changed.”
The German coach went into further detail about the saga, which left him raging after an off-the-record quip was published, in his post-match press conference – which turned out to be his last.
He explained: “I gave a video interview to a journalist who told me to do a story about German coaches.
“It is not an interview for him. It is not allowed. I was making a joke in German. The translation is not correct.
“We cannot translate word for word. It was a joke while we were talking and it is not allowed.”
