Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Pochettino reveals major concern which stopped PSG from signing Harry Kane; names frightening partnership he wants to see

Tottenham star Harry Kane

Harry Kane celebrates after scoring for Tottenham

Mauricio Pochettino has given the main reason why Paris Saint-Germain never managed to capture Harry Kane from Tottenham, while also detailing which world-class star he wants to see Kane play alongside.

PSG were linked with a big-money swoop for Kane after Pochettino became their manager in January 2021. Of course, Pochettino and Kane know each other well from their time together at Tottenham.

However, PSG never began discussions with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about the striker’s availability. Instead, they went on to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona on a free transfer in August 2021.

Pochettino managed the fearsome trio of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for one season. They won the Ligue 1 title back from Lille, finishing 15 points ahead of second-placed Marseille.

However, they couldn’t end their wait for the Champions League trophy. A stunning Karim Benzema hat-trick saw Real Madrid knock PSG out of the competition in the second leg of their last-16 tie.

And it was ultimately this failure that saw Pochettino lose his job at the Parc des Princes. He was sacked on July 5, with Christophe Galtier arriving from Nice as his successor.

Pochettino remains without a managerial job. He seems to be waiting for the right opportunity on the European stage to present itself.

He is currently working as a guest writer for The Athletic during the World Cup. And in his latest column, the Argentine has spoken about the likes of Kane and Mbappe. After all, he is the only man to coach both of the world-class goalscorers.

Mauricio Pochettino discusses Kane and Mbappe

Pochettino revealed his desire to see Kane and Mbappe strike up a frightening forward partnership. He also detailed PSG’s reported interest in signing Kane, which ultimately fell through due to Pochettino not wanting to harm his former club.

“They [Kane and Mbappe] would be completely compatible,” the 50-year-old said. “It could be similar to the bond that Harry has with Son Heung-min at Spurs. The connection would be amazing and the two could share ideas about tactics and movements.

“Maybe it will never happen. When I was at PSG, I knew Tottenham would never want to sell Harry. And I never wanted to do anything that would affect Tottenham because I love Tottenham.

“But maybe one day in the future, if I am at a different club and if Harry has decided to leave Tottenham, maybe I would try to bring Harry with me.

“And so if you asked me to name two great attacking players who could play well together, it would be Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.”

Spurs fans will love the fact Pochettino didn’t want to harm them by signing Kane for PSG. This shows just how strong his bond is with the north London side, following his memorable spell there.

In terms of seeing Kane play with Mbappe, this would certainly be an incredible sight. Imagine Kane dropping deep and sending through balls into Mbappe’s path, it would be almost unstoppable.

However, it is unlikely the two attackers will ever meet on the same team. After all, Mbappe is highly likely to leave PSG for Real in the future. And the Spanish giants won’t need to sign Kane if they already have Mbappe in their ranks, even if this would disappoint Pochettino.

Meanwhile, Spurs have reignited their interest in a classy Frankfurt player, according to Thursday’s Euro Paper Talk.