Former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho hopes Mauricio Pochettino can return for a second spell at the club to “continue the story that was interrupted”.
Pochettino spent five years in north London, where he led Spurs to a second-place finish in the Premier League in 2016/17 and guided them to their first Champions League final in 2019, which they lost to Liverpool.
In total, Pochettino took charge of 293 games in all competitions, winning 159 of them (D62 L72).
His win rate of 54.3% is the second best of all permanent Tottenham managers, surpassed only by Andre Villas-Boas (55%).
However, Pochettino was sacked in November 2019, just five months after the Champions League final, with Spurs struggling in the competition.
Pochettino, who also managed Southampton and Chelsea in the English top flight, has spoken of his desire to return to the Premier League in the future.
And Paulinho, who played under Pochettino in the 2014/15 season, wants the Argentine to get a second chance at Spurs.
“Pochettino was a manager whose work I really liked, his daily dynamics and the content, so he stayed at Tottenham for many years and achieved really impressive results,” Paulinho told Stats Perform exclusively.
“If he feels he has unfinished business, he should go back. But he is a manager who has done a fantastic job at Tottenham, let’s say.”
“It’s not just good, it’s not just very good, it’s great, for all the seasons he was there.
“So if he gets the chance to return one day, I think he would get that other chance and then maybe continue the story that was interrupted.”
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Spurs ended their 17-year wait for success with their Europa League triumph last season. They beat Manchester United 1-0 in the final, but sacked Ange Postecoglou just over two weeks after lifting the trophy.
He was replaced by Thomas Frank, who has had a mixed start at Spurs.
They are currently fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, but although they are unbeaten on the road, they have won just once at home, on the opening weekend.
Spurs are also yet to lose in the Champions League and are in tenth place halfway through the league stage.
Paulinho says an adjustment period was to be expected under the new head coach, but he is optimistic they will continue to improve.
“The Premier League is tough these days. So I think there are obviously some fluctuations in results, but that’s because of the level of competition,” Paulinho added.
“These moments of fluctuation will occur, and then it is of course up to those who manage and take care of the processes to know the right timing to perhaps improve one situation and manage the other a little better.
“And that’s how I think football works. And especially when it comes to the Premier League, which is getting harder every year.”
“But I think on the whole Tottenham has always been a club that has been very well run by the people involved. It is an important club worldwide. So I hope things improve.”
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