Mauricio Pochettino Admits Regret at 'Impossible' to Manage Barcelona Remark

Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted it was wrong of him to say it'd be "impossible" to manage Barcelona due to his connection with rivals Espanyol.

The Argentine was sacked as Spurs manager last November following a memorable five-and-a-half year spell which almost yielded unthinkable Champions League glory in 2019.

Despite his 'success' in north London - which thrust Pochettino into the elite bracket of coaches in Europe - he was overlooked when vacancies opened up at Juventus and Barcelona - with novice Andrea Pirlo and Ronald Koeman respectively chosen ahead of him.

The 48-year-old once said during his spell at Spurs that he'd never work at Barça due to his connection with Catalonian rivals Espanyol - a club he managed and spent nine years at across two spells as a player.

Pochettino went as far as saying that he'd rather work on his farm in Argentina than take over at Camo Nou, however, with the frustration of his unemployment status continuing to mount, the Argentine admitted he was wrong to say so.

In an interview with Argentine newspaper Ole (via the Telegraph), Pochettino remarked: “I was wrong in the way that I conveyed that it would be impossible in the future to manage Barcelona. I was a bit exaggerated by not leaving an iota of doubt.

“It is clear that everyone who knows me knows that, from my past and a lot of things, it would be difficult to relate my name to the club. There are things that cannot be put together.”

The former Spurs boss also noted that it would've been tough for the Blaugrana faithful to embrace him following past comments, even though he was one of the favourites to succeed Quique Setien at Camp Nou before the Barça board hired Koeman.

“I think the statements made the fans reluctant to accept me," Pochettino added. "But at no time did I receive an offer to manage Barça."