The four men who will join Pochettino at Man Utd as INEOS compensation bill ramps up – Exclusive

Manchester United will have to spend more than £10million to secure the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, with the club determined to bring his trusted backroom staff to Old Trafford alongside him, TEAMtalk understands.

United are hurtling towards the appointment of the Argentine, who is already in talks over personal terms with the club, and with United having already carried out background work into the financial implications of appointing the former Tottenham and Chelsea manager.

As part of their due diligence on those costs, that also includes the cost of releasing his coaching team as part of the overall package.

TEAMtalk understands that Pochettino has a release clause of around £7.5million (€9m, $10m), but the overall package would rise to more than £10.5m (€12.5m, $14m) once the compensation required to secure his preferred backroom staff is also taken into account.

The Argentine’s coaching team is understood to carry a combined price tag of approximately £3m, taking the total potential cost of the operation beyond the £10.5m mark.

Pochettino has emerged as the unequivocal choice within United’s hierarchy, beating out the other names under consideration, including Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and another former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte.

United now plan to approve Pochettino as their new coach once Michael Carrick’s departure is confirmed, with TEAMtalk exclusively revealing on Tuesday how the club’s PR and social teams are now preparing an emotional and sensitive exit message for the sacked coach.

His appointment has also now been ratified by the US Soccer Federation, with Pochettino now expected to be in the United dugout for the clash away to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday November 22.

A major part of United’s planning centres on ensuring Pochettino would be able to bring the people he trusts most, rather than being expected to work with an entirely new coaching structure.

And we understand that, as part of those initial talks, Pochettino has made it clear that he would like four key members of his backroom team to accompany him at Old Trafford.

They include long-standing assistant Jesus Perez, assistant coach Miguel ‘Miki’ D’Agostino, goalkeeping coach Antonio ‘Toni’ Jiménez and sports scientist Sebastiano Pochettino…

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Pochettino keen to bring his four trusted allies to Man Utd 

Perez is Pochettino’s closest coaching ally and has worked alongside him since his first managerial appointment at Espanyol in 2009 as his assistant.

The Spaniard plays a significant role in tactical preparation, training session design and integrating fitness work into the team’s overall approach. He is also regarded as an important link between Pochettino and his players.

D’Agostino is another long-standing member of the Argentine’s inner circle. A former teammate of Pochettino at Newell’s Old Boys, he has been part of the coaching setup since 2009.

Jimenez would also be expected to join the operation as goalkeeping coach. A former teammate of Pochettino at Espanyol and an Olympic gold medallist with Spain in 1992, he has worked alongside the manager since 2009.

He oversees goalkeeper development and plays a role in organising the defensive structure at set pieces.

The fourth name is Sebastiano Pochettino, Mauricio’s eldest son, who joined the coaching operation in 2016 during their time at Tottenham.

A specialist in sports science, he focuses on player conditioning, physical load management and injury prevention.

United’s background work on Pochettino’s availability and potential appointment indicates that the club have looked beyond the headline compensation figure.

While his clause is understood to stand at approximately £7.5million, securing the services of his preferred coaching staff would require a further financial commitment of around £3million.

That would take the overall cost to more than £10.5million before any potential contractual package for the manager is considered.

The willingness to meet those costs would underline United’s determination to give Pochettino the conditions he wants should they decide to make their move.

The news will go down very well with Sir Alex Ferguson, who, as TEAMtalk confirmed on Tuesday, has pushed for the Argentine to land the role.

As an immediate target for the Argentine, a report on Tuesday revealed the three major targets that INEOS will set for the 54-year-old.