Mauricio Pochettino can “definitely” coach Real Madrid in the future but feels at home with Tottenham for now, according to Christian Ziege.
Pochettino’s mood appears to have darkened this season after Tottenham gave a limp performance in June’s Champions League final loss to Liverpool.
He has long been rumoured to be a managerial target for Real Madrid and Manchester United, should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fail at Old Trafford.
A 2-1 home win against Southampton got Spurs back on track in the Premier League on Saturday, Harry Kane netting the winner despite Serge Aurier’s red card.
Pochettino’s contract with Spurs has four years to run and despite some pundits speculating he has taken the club as far as he can, with England boss Gareth Southgate reportedly of interest to the club, Ziege backed the Argentine.
Asked if Pochettino could coach Madrid, former Tottenham defender Ziege told Omnisport: “Definitely! You always have to be careful since you don’t know what is just being discussed in the media and what is true.
“But Mauricio Pochettino proved what he is capable of last year. They did not buy a single player and went to the Champions League final.
“He developed the team incredibly and always finished among the top four in the Premier League. This was not always the case at Tottenham. That’s why I have a lot of confidence in this coach, even the biggest challenges.
“But what I’ve understood and how he talked in the past is that he feels very much at home where he is right now.”
Pochettino is yet to win his first trophy with Spurs and former England defender Rio Ferdinand recently claimed star striker Kane should look elsewhere if he wants to achieve such success.
“If you go by the facts, then Tottenham are not a club to win silverware,” Ziege added. “They were in the Champions League final and lost.
“Then you get a certain reputation and Rio Ferdinand comes and says, ‘If you want to win, you need to go elsewhere.’
“At Tottenham there weren’t that many trophies during the previous years. They were close to winning the title the year that [Manchester] City or Chelsea won it, they are always among the top teams but in the end it isn’t enough for titles.
“So, if you go by the facts, Ferdinand is right. While this can always change, it does not look like it.”
