Villa believes Pochettino will stay at Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur legend Ricky Villa is confident head coach Mauricio Pochettino will remain with the North London and believes his fellow Argentine can bring silverware to White Hart Lane.

Pochettino recently signed a new five-year deal with Spurs, taking him through to 2023, despite speculation he was not happy with the club’s ambition at the season’s end.

The 46-year-old, who is heading into his fifth campaign as Spurs boss, has consistently been linked with the manager’s roles at Real Madrid and former club Paris Saint-Germain – and speculation has started up again in light of Zinedine Zidane’s decision to resign from the former this week.

And Villa, who won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1981, scoring one of the competition’s most iconic goals in the final replay against Manchester City, praised the impact Pochettino has had at Tottenham since joining from Southampton in 2014.

Speaking to Football Whispers at their third annual event at Stadium mk, Villa said: “When I talked with Spurs supporters I always said they need Argentinian people in the club!

“Pochettino has been coaching the club for the last four years and I’m very pleased because he’s a very honest man. He also improves players every day and that is the first part of being a good manager: to improve every individual.

“Like the team he’s in the Champions League again and that is great.The club is getting bigger and bigger because he’s doing brilliantly.”

Villa, who made 179 appearances for Spurs between 1978 and 1983, is adamant Pochettino will remain with Tottenham as they prepare to move into their re-built home at White Hart Lane.

The 1978 World Cup winner added: “I believe he will stay with the club because he and his family are very happy in England and very much enjoy their lives outside of football.

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“In football it’s sometimes very difficult to be 100 per cent happy every day. I believe he will stay because he wants to win something with the club. I’m expecting next year, fingers crossed, we’ll win something.”

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