Arsenal held talks with Pochettino after his 2018 vow never to manage them

Mauricio Pochettino’s public vow never to manage Arsenal was followed a year later by reported talks with the club after Tottenham dismissed him. The discussions did not lead to a move, but they put a striking north London possibility into sharper focus: the former Spurs manager was considered as Unai Emery’s replacement.

Telegraph Sport reported that Arsenal assessed Pochettino as a candidate and that he spoke with technical director Edu Gaspar. Spurs Web also cited accounts that Pochettino was willing to engage with the possibility. Those reports describe conversations, not an agreement to take the job.

The contrast with Pochettino’s earlier words is clear. In 2018, he said, as relayed by Standard Sport: “I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol.” He also described his commitment to Tottenham as “massive”, while acknowledging that “you never know what is going to happen in football.”

Pochettino’s standing at Spurs explains why the idea carried such weight. He led the club to a Premier League title challenge and a Champions League final, and Tottenham finished above Arsenal three times during his tenure. Across 202 league matches in charge, he won 113 and collected 382 points, averaging 1.89 points per game.

Arsenal ultimately did not appoint him, and Pochettino did not become the third manager to lead both rivals. Terry Neill moved from Tottenham to Arsenal; George Graham managed Arsenal before later taking charge of Spurs. The rarity of that crossing helps explain why the reported discussions remain a notable what-if for both sets of supporters.

The rivalry’s league balance has since shifted. Tottenham last finished above Arsenal in 2021/22, taking fourth place with 71 points, two more than Arsenal’s 69. In the current table cited in the report, Arsenal are second with 18 points from seven matches, while Tottenham are 20th with three from six. That contrast makes the old Pochettino episode more than a managerial curiosity: it links a period when Spurs had the edge to a present in which Arsenal are ahead, while showing how quickly football can unsettle even a firm-sounding declaration.