Ryan Mason gives blunt response to Mauricio Pochettino’s looming Chelsea move

The 31-year-old is the third man to take the hotseat at Spurs this season, having been put in temporary charge after chairman Daniel Levy sacked previous interim boss Cristian Stellini – who took on the role less than a month ago after Antonio Conte’s dismissal.

Mason has been part of the coaching staff at Spurs since Jose Mourinho was in charge and had a previous seven-game spell in the dugout back in 2021 following the Portuguese manager’s exit.

Now he must arrest a poor run of form that has seen Tottenham slide down to sixth place in the Premier League table after getting destroyed 6-1 by top-four rivals Newcastle on Sunday.

If anything, that scoreline flattered Tottenham – who were five goals down after just 21 minutes – and the mood of supporters has been soured even further by reports that former manager Pochettino is on the verge of being appointed by Chelsea.

Fans had actually sung the much-loved Argentine’s name in the stands this season and many wanted to see him return to north London, but the club never made any contact over a reunion.

Instead, barring any last-minute breakdown in negotiations, Pochettino will be in the Stamford Bridge dugout next season, but Mason – who played under the former PSG boss and shared a close relationship with him – insists he is not bothered by the developments.

Asked if it will take some time to get used to the thought of Pochettino managing Chelsea, Mason replied: ‘Not from my point of view, no.

‘Like I’ve said, the focus is on inside here. We’re not going to listen and look on the outside noise, because there’s [always] going to be outside noise.

‘But we have to focus on our jobs. And our job is to get results on the football pitch. My feeling is that comes from the training ground and the training pitch, so that’s our only focus right now.’

Mason actually scored a vital goal in the early days of the Pochettino reign, netting a screamer in the League Cup in 2014 against Nottingham Forest to quell murmurs of discontent over the then recently appointed Argentine.

Spurs are thought to be prioritising a move for either ex-Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann or Feyenoord’s title-bound boss Arne Slot.

But Mason also hopes to show over the next six Premier League games that he is a viable candidate too: ‘Honestly for me I feel ready. I know I am ready.

‘If that situation happens [where he is offered the job on a full-time basis], it means we’ve done a good job. That is fast forwarding six weeks’ time. My immediate focus is Thursday [vs Manchester United].’

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