Tottenham Hotspur

Darren Bent insists former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is not world class

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 03 November 2020

Bent insists Pochettino is not world class

Former forward Darren Bent claims that ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino should not be regarded as a world-class manager.

Darren Bent has claimed that Mauricio Pochettino does not deserve to be regarded as a world-class manager.

Ever since leaving Tottenham Hotspur at the end of 2019, Pochettino has been heavily linked with a number of high-profile positions in Europe.

The Argentine also acknowledged on Monday evening that he is waiting to accept his next opportunity in the dugout.

However, despite guiding Spurs to the Champions League final during 2018-19, Bent has insisted that the achievement should not make Pochettino the most attractive option to the bigger clubs.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Bent said: "When I look at elite managers, I obviously look at people like [Jurgen] Klopp, [Pep] Guardiola and even [Carlo] Ancelotti from what he's done.

"I can't put Pochettino in that bracket. Not yet. I know he's been at Spurs and he's not won anything at Spurs. You can't elevate him all of a sudden because he got a team to a Champions League final and a League Cup final.

"That's not world level management, for me. I think he's good but I just don't think he's in that bracket. I'd put Brendan Rodgers ahead of him. I think Brendan Rodgers as a coach and a manager is absolutely superb."

Pochettino has not won any silverware during his spells at Espanyol, Southampton and Spurs.