U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino denies Brentford hyperlink: 'I by no means talked to them'

Doug McIntyre

Soccer Journalist

MINNEAPOLIS — A report out of Eire on Saturday stating that U.S. males’s nationwide staff coach Mauricio Pochettino not too long ago interviewed for the since-filled Premier League emptiness at Brentford is fake, Pochettino completely informed me.

“This membership by no means contacted me,” Pochettino mentioned when proven the report a day earlier than his squad will meet Costa Rica on Sunday at U.S. Financial institution Stadium within the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals (7 p.m. ET on FOX).

Pochettino, the previous Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss who has additionally led Southampton and Espanyol, took over the USMNT final September on a contract that runs by means of subsequent summer time’s U.S. co-hosted FIFA World Cup. This is not the primary time the 53-year-old Argentine has been linked with different Premier League openings since leaving the European membership recreation for his maiden worldwide job.

Earlier this month, when Tottenham fired Ange Postecoglou after two seasons, Pochettino threw chilly water on hypothesis that he may return to Spurs. Positive sufficient, the London-based staff lured extremely regarded Danish supervisor Thomas Frank away from Brentford a couple of days later.

The Bees subsequently employed former Republic of Eire midfielder Keith Andrews, who labored as Frank’s set-price coach with Brentford final season. However Irish outlet The42.ie made waves on each side of the Atlantic on Saturday by reporting that the membership interviewed Pochettino and former Nottingham Forest and Leicester Metropolis coach Steve Cooper earlier than in the end providing the place to Andrews.

Pochettino informed me that the report was false, including that Brentford by no means even approached him, not to mention formally interviewed him for the put up.

As a result of Pochettino is below contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation, any membership or rival nationwide staff that needed to inquire about his curiosity or availability would wish to ask the united states for permission to talk to him first. Failure to take action could be thought of tampering — or what the British name “tapping up.”

Formally, Premier League guidelines stop such approaches from happening, even informally. In apply, groups typically work brokers and different again channels to gauge a possible participant or supervisor’s curiosity earlier than making contact formally.

However that’s not what occurred with Brentford, in response to Pochettino.

“I by no means talked to them,” he mentioned.

Pochettino has a 8-3 report as USMNT coach. The U.S. superior to Sunday’s match as Group D winners after beating Haiti, Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago within the first spherical. Ought to the Individuals advance, they’ll face both Canada or Guatemala in Wednesday’s semifinal in St. Louis.

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