Is Mauricio Pochettino Tottenham's Greatest Ever Manager?

When Mauricio Pochettino was named as manager of Tottenham back in May of 2014, it was an appointment that caught many unaware and for some fans, it was even seen as an incorrect move by chairman Daniel Levy.

That’s because the likes of Louis Van Gaal and Frank de Boer were heavily touted as candidates to replace Tim Sherwood in the White Hart Lane hot seat and the fact that Levy did not go Dutch became a cause of consternation in North London.

Although Tottenham’s controller of the purse strings does not necessarily endear himself to a highly passionate fan base - especially when it comes to a lack of transfer business or frustrating stadium delays - there can be no doubt that he has completed a managerial masterstroke.

That’s because this is a club transformed and, although a whole host of behind-the-scenes work has gone on, in order to thrust them into the Premier League elite one must not underestimate the role that Pochettino has played in this revival of fortunes.

After a spell of indifference under both Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, the appointment of the Argentine was almost a sliding doors moment and had a different managerial decision been made, the outcome may not have been as ideal in the present day.

That’s because in the five seasons that the 47-year-old has been in charge, he has led his current employers four Champions League qualifications and not to mention a runners-up berth in the most recent edition of the competition.

A deeper dive into his performance shows that he has been in charge of 190 Premier League fixtures since picking up the reigns and from those, he has masterminded no fewer than 110 victories.

Courtesy of that record, his Tottenham top-flight win percentage currently stands at 57.89% and this puts him second when ranking managers of the club in the Premier League era by win percentage alone.

The name that somewhat ironically pips him to top spot is that of previous incumbent Tim Sherwood. His stint as manager saw him record a win percentage of 59.09% and although this is more impressive from a numerical stance, it does come with a caveat.

Sherwood was only in charge of the club for 22 league outings during his five-month stint and therefore we’re working with a much smaller sample of data, something that has the ability to then paint a slightly different picture in terms of performance.

Win percentage aside, Pochettino is often lauded as the best manager in Tottenham’s recent history and although silverware has eluded him up until now, many supporters believe that next season will be the one where his personal trophy drought comes to an end.

A belief that is shared to a certain degree by the bookmakers and while they don’t necessarily have the club as favourites to win the 2019-20 Premier League, they will certainly be considered as potential challengers.

A look at the odds comparison website Oddschecker has the North Londoners as third favourites at the time of writing and most major online betting companies have them priced at a rather tempting 18/1.

Of course, this is with a squad that is yet to have any new additions and after falling short at the final hurdle in Europe’s premier club competition, the aim will be to harness that momentum and do what Liverpool did just a few weeks ago.

After their own Champions League final defeat last June, the Merseyside outfit identified their shortfalls and purchased accordingly, an outlook that allowed them to claim the coveted trophy a year later. Should this year's runners-up carry out the same transfer strategy, those 18/1 odds will shorten dramatically.

Tottenham arguably now find themselves at a crossroads as they prepare for the start of the new campaign in August. If they can keep this recent momentum going and build on their defeat in Madrid, then they could become an even stronger force.

Failure to do so though and it might be the closest the club ever get to success. If that proves to be the case, then don’t be surprised if Europe’s top teams put Mauricio Pochettino on their radar and Tottenham lose potentially their greatest ever manager.