Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino tells Real Madrid to forget £15million-a-year deal because he is staying at Spurs
Uncertainty at Real and constant disruption behind the scenes at the Bernabeu has put him off the idea after a dismal start in La Liga
MAURICIO POCHETTINO has told Real Madrid to forget it — again — as he is staying at Tottenham.
The Spanish giants were prepared to pay Spurs boss Poch, 46, a staggering £15million a year.
But uncertainty at Real and constant disruption behind the scenes at the Bernabeu has put him off the idea.
The news is a major boost for Tottenham fans before tonight’s must-win Champions League clash with PSV at Wembley.
Real chiefs made Pochettino their No 1 target after sacking former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui last month.
Instead, the Spanish giants must wait until the end of the season at least for another crack at Poch after he told Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy he is staying.
Real put rookie boss Santiago Solari in charge after firing Lopetegui a week ago following the 5-1 defeat to bitter rivals Barcelona.
Solari has steadied the ship with two wins but Real remain determined to persuade Poch, 46, to join them at the Bernabeu.
They also offered him the job when Zinedine Zidane quit back in June after leading the club to a third successive triumph in the Champions League.
But Poch had only just signed a new five-year contract at Tottenham - and has managed to tie down superstars such as Dele Alli and Harry Kane to new deals.
And Levy refused to buckle when Real made an official approach — offering compensation and fringe players to make the deal attractive.
It is more good news for Spurs after their Champions League clash against PSV was given the go-ahead.
Uefa bosses held a pitch inspection of the battered Wembley turf.
The national stadium's playing surface was left in a terrible state when it was used for an NFL game just 24 hours before Spurs' 1-0 defeat to Manchester City last week.