Pochettino: Barcelona move would be like joining Arsenal from Tottenham

Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that he would never take the Barcelona job, claiming that it would be like quitting Tottenham to take charge at Arsenal.

The 45-year-old has been touted as a possible successor to Luis Enrique, who is to step down when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Speculation that Pochettino could be made an offer grew when it was reported that he had met Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu in Catalonia during the international break, but the Spurs manager says his Espanyol roots would make any move to Camp Nou impossible.

“I’m an Espanyol supporter – I think then I don’t need to speak too much,” Pochettino, who won two Copas del Rey as a player before becoming head coach of the club in 2009, told a news conference.

“It is like one day if [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy sacks me in a few years, for me it would be impossible to manage Arsenal.

“In football it is difficult to keep values like loyalty but, to me, loyalty and honesty come before being a manager or a player. I am an Espanyol fan and I love Espanyol. Now I am at Tottenham it would be impossible for me to move to Arsenal one day.”

Asked about the meeting with Bartomeu, he added: “It was a coincidence in a bar in Barcelona last Tuesday. I have known him for a long time, before he became president of Barcelona. There were many people around us.

“We said hello, we spent five minutes together but that was the reality. You know that after that it is impossible to stop the rumours.”

Tottenham face Burnley on Saturday looking for a win that will keep pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea, who are 10 points above them.

Striker Vincent Janssen will face fitness tests after a chest infection, while Harry Kane (ankle) and Danny Rose (knee) remain out despite both having stepped up their recovery work this week.

TEAM NEWS: @HKane (ankle). Commenced early field work this week. #COYS pic.twitter.com/FpO1iNmp1K

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 30, 2017