Mauricio Pochettino: 'I'll Go Home' If Tottenham Win the Champions League

Mauricio Pochettino has stunned Tottenham Hotspur after he said he'll "go home" should the club win the UEFA Champions League this season despite having four years left on his contract.

The Spurs chief suggested he would change his career if Tottenham won the competition "in this circumstance." The north Londoners trail Ajax 1-0 ahead of their semi-final second leg in Amsterdam on Wednesday, and Pochettino's words will come as a big surprise to many of his fans, via BBC Sport:

When asked about his "go home" comment, Pochettino clarified it wasn't a joke and told reporters:

"Winning the Champions League? It should be fantastic, no? Close the five-year chapter and go home.

"We are living a dream. Five years ago when we arrived it was to reduce the gap to the top four, and then to have the possibility to play in the Champions League.

"I think nobody would believe we would be playing in the Champions League three seasons in a row and competing at this stage." 

The circumstances Pochettino refers to are likely to be the fact they didn't sign a single player last summer and spent much of their campaign using Wembley Stadium as a temporary home base.

The comment was made towards the end of Tuesday's press conference in the buildup to Spurs' second leg at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where they look most likely to be without injured striker Harry Kane.

Pochettino has a contract in north London until 2023, but he appeared committed to moving on should Spurs mastermind a European triumph, rather than attempt to beat that accomplishment—at least right away.

Norwegian pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft described the general reaction among those journalists in the room:

The South American has been marked out as one of the Premier League rising managerial talents in recent years, and it wasn't long ago he was being linked with the positions at Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Pochettino's words could have one of two effects on his dressing room, either invigorating players after such a strong show of emotion or discouraging them that even success could be bittersweet.

The Telegraph's Matt Law seemed sure the tactician was being genuine:

Pochettino left Southampton for Tottenham in 2014 and has helped bring a new era of top-four consistency to the club, although a major title win has so far evaded him in north London.

He could change that in the Champions League this season, although Spurs will need to score at least once in the Dutch capital if they're to pull off the reversal.