Potential Landing Spots for USMNT Manager Mauricio Pochettino Amid Contract Talks
Mauricio Pochettino wasn't given long to consider his future after the United States men's national team's exit from the FIFA World Cup.
In the post-game press conference following the 4-1 defeat to Belgium, the soon-to-be out-of-contract Pochettino responded to a question about whether he would remain by saying, "Now is not a moment to talk about that. I think now is a moment to sit, to assess the tournament, and for sure in the next weeks, we can start to talk—if the federation wants to talk."
According to the Guardian's Pablo Iglesias Maurer, U.S. Soccer offered the 54-year-old Argentinian a four-year extension before the World Cup, although Pochettino himself said he was unsure whether that interest remained.
So, what next? TalkSport's Ben Jacobs suggested that while the door remains open to continuing with the USMNT, Pochettino is interested in returning to the Premier League—where he has previously managed Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea—or looking for other international work.
Here, we run down the most likely options.
Remain with the USMNT
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Pochettino hasn't ruled out a longer stay with the USMNT. But while he likely would have accepted that defeat to a Belgium team ranked ninth in the world was possible, the loss's comprehensive nature would've stung.
The U.S. drew a lot of praise for their performances prior to the round of 16, but it is worth noting that the teams they beat are ranked 41st, 27th, and 64th, respectively, and there will always be questions about how far the team can be taken when the talent pool is so thin.
Prior to the tournament, Pochettino said he didn't believe any USMNT players were among the world's top 100. Whether you put that down to coaching and affordability issues at youth levels, the sport not being popular enough to attract the best athletes, the country's domestic league lacking prestige, or a combination of those factors and many more, the issue for Pochettino's future will be that the talent gap is unlikely to be remedied in four years.
Competitors want to compete, and it is hard to believe that Pochettino seriously thinks he can do that with the USMNT, especially now without the advantage of a home tournament. The circus caused by President Donald Trump's involvement in FIFA's decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension for the Belgium game could be a further warning that the job's challenges outweigh its benefits.
Pochettino has been paid handsomely for his work with the USMNT (U.S. soccer tax filings put his salary in the $6 million range), and perhaps that, along with the challenge of continuing soccer's growth in the nation, is enticing enough to keep him around. But even if he does stay, there will likely always be flirtatious glances whenever elite club jobs become available, and it may be best for both parties to go their separate ways before things get messy.
Newcastle United
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It's a rough time to enter the job market at the club level, with teams already having coaches in place ahead of the imminent start of preseason. If Pochettino does opt to return to the domestic ranks, he will surely have to wait for an enticing job to become available early in the season.
With five of the traditional top-six clubs all making managerial moves recently, and Mikel Arteta rightly being untouchable at Arsenal, Pochettino may have to set his sights slightly lower if he wishes to return to England in the near future.
Newcastle United could be an ideal opportunity, though. Manager Eddie Howe has come under scrutiny in recent months, and while he looks set to begin the season, his team is undergoing a significant overhaul.
Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have already departed, while The Athletic's David Ornstein has reported that captain Bruno Guimarães has his heart set on a move to Arsenal. Howe is a good coach, but it would be little surprise if he becomes the fall guy after a slow start, especially after a poor season that saw almost all of his major signings fail to meet expectations.
Pochettino would offer an upgrade in star power, and he could unlock more from the team with a different approach. His observations about football's relative lack of popularity in the United States would also no longer be a factor in a city that lives and dies by its team.
The appeal of this appointment likely comes down to how you view the events of this summer: an indication that Newcastle will always end up losing their best players to clubs higher up the food chain, or a chance to rebuild a prestigious club and put it among the elite, in the same way Pochettino did with Spurs.
If it's the latter, then Newcastle is by far Pochettino's most likely destination in England in the coming months.
Elsewhere in England
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Jacobs' report highlighting the Premier League is little surprise. It represents Pochettino's best chance to secure a good salary and compete with the very best on a weekly basis, but the market currently looks thin.
The Argentinian would likely be open to any of the top six jobs, bar Chelsea—that bridge feels like it was burned—and perhaps Arsenal, given his previous connection with Tottenham.
Spurs were frequently connected to Pochettino toward the end of last season, but their situation became so dire that they seemingly had to promise the world to Roberto De Zerbi, and that door once again seems closed.
Manchester City have hired Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola's replacement. Maresca is a former assistant of Guardiola, and it seems logical that the club would look for another similar hire even if Maresca were to depart earlier than expected.
Andoni Iraola and Michael Carrick will surely be given a decent amount of time at Liverpool and Manchester United, respectively, although both lack extensive experience managing elite clubs and conceivably could struggle early. Pochettino has previously been speculated as a perfect Manchester United manager, but it is telling that the two sides have never come close to working together.
Everton have begun to show more ambition lately, and the way they fell out of European contention with a seven-match winless run to close last season could raise the pressure on David Moyes. But as with Newcastle, that job and any others outside the Premier League's traditional top six would require accepting a glass ceiling that is tough to break through, and Pochettino's sights may be set higher.
Other International Jobs
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Much like on the club scene, it doesn't feel like an ideal time for Pochettino to be looking for an international job.
Argentina would, of course, be of interest, but Lionel Scaloni has guided his team to three straight major tournament wins and still has a chance to secure a fourth, so it'd be quite a shock if that job opened up.
England, which Jacobs highlighted as a job that particularly interests Pochettino, looks likely to stick with Thomas Tuchel, given the strength of the team's victory over Mexico at the Azteca.
Brazil could be on the lookout for a new coach after their round-of-16 exit, but fans would surely never accept an Argentinian as manager.
Germany is searching for Julian Nagelsmann's replacement, but they appear to have settled on Jürgen Klopp for the role, with The Athletic's Sebastian Stafford-Bloor and James Pearce reporting that talks are planned between the two parties.
Portugal could have been an option after Roberto Martinez's departure, but ESPN's Adriana Garcia has reported former Benfica manager Jorge Jesus is the leading candidate for the job.
In truth, though, none of the top jobs are obvious destinations, and Pochettino may have to wait two years to see how some of these teams fare in their continental tournaments if he wants to remain in international football.
He will be enticing, however. Even after a disappointing ending, Pochettino's ability to build a culture and team identity was on full display at the World Cup. Other managers with far greater collections of talent failed miserably in that respect (yes, Roberto Martinez, this line is about you), and Pochettino's stock has possibly still risen in spite of the Belgium defeat.
Real Madrid
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Real Madrid have, of course, recently hired José Mourinho to be their head coach, so this is another job for which Pochettino would have to wait.
But honestly, how long are we actually giving this? Mourinho feels like a desperate move at a time when his stock in the game has never been lower.
It feels like a power play to wrestle back control from a dressing room that essentially rejected Xabi Alonso, and while there is perhaps a slim chance that Mourinho is able to balance his old-school approach with enough tough love to get his Galacticos onside, the far more likely outcome is that club president Florentino Perez is once again left scrambling for a new manager midseason.
Enter Pochettino, who has been linked with Real since 2018. The Argentinian has shown an ability to relate to modern players and even appeared to have a reasonable relationship with Kylian Mbappé during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
That shouldn't be taken for granted, and the challenge in Madrid will likely come down to how managers accommodate Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé in the same team. It may be that it just isn't possible, but given Mourinho's track record in recent years, Pochettino may not have to wait too long to see what he can do.
Serie A
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Pochettino has never worked in Italy, but the BBC's Sami Mokbel reported there were discussions between his representatives and AC Milan this summer prior to the Rossoneri hiring Ruben Amorim.
Being able to make that hire almost a month ago, rather than waiting for Pochettino, was likely a significant factor, but it is also possible that the Argentinian's salary demands were just outside Milan's range.
According to Daniele Longo of CalcioMercato.com, Amorim will earn a base salary of 3.5 million euros ($4 million). While Pochettino likely would've been able to secure better compensation, the issue is that Serie A is no longer the place to put yourself among the game's top earners.
The draw of the league, however, is that it's a wide-open competition. Four different teams have won it since 2020, and while all of those clubs have managers in position, there's no guarantee that will be the case for much longer.
Amorim's lack of flexibility during his tenure at Manchester United was concerning, and he's walking into a club struggling to regain its standing in Italy and Europe. Luciano Spalletti appears to still be a popular figure at Juventus, but expectations will likely be higher than the sixth-placed finish he secured last season after taking over in October.
Napoli's meek follow-up to winning the title under Antonio Conte saw him let go at the end of the season, and his replacement, Massimiliano Allegri, has only one Coppa Italia win to his name since 2019.
If Pochettino truly wants to return to the top of the domestic game, Italy may represent his best chance to boost his stock back to where it stood after his departure from Tottenham in 2019.
Saudi Pro League
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The Saudi Pro League would represent a step further away from the brightest lights in the game for Pochettino, but it can't be ruled out for one simple reason: He won't earn close to as much money anywhere else.
Simone Inzaghi is the most comparable manager in terms of stature in the game currently in the league, and ESPN reported in 2025 that his contract with Al Hilal would pay him 20 million euros ($22.74 million) per season.
It's astonishing compensation, and Pochettino may view a two-year deal like Inzaghi's as a nice little compromise while the market for more prestigious jobs looks so murky. Using others who have taken the money on offer in Saudi Arabia as a test case, though, it's more likely his standing in the game would fall as a result of such a move.
Inzaghi is never mentioned in connection with the game's top jobs, even after taking Inter Milan to two UEFA Champions League finals and a domestic title. Players have fallen out of the conversation entirely, so much so that the World Cup has prompted a number of "oh yeah, remember him?" reactions when they represent their countries.
Pochettino's financial advisers would likely disagree, of course, and it's tough to judge someone wanting to create generational wealth for their family in a society where money really can solve a lot of problems. But if he still harbors any ambition of one day winning the Premier League, this would likely be a significant setback to that goal.
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