Mauricio Pochettino discusses interest in Harry Kane while at PSG

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that while he would have liked to have signed Harry Kane while manager of Paris Saint-Germain, he did not want to weaken Tottenham because of his love for the club.

Pochettino joined Spurs in 2014 and oversaw their transformation from the fringes of the top six to Champions League regulars and even finalists.

One of the Argentine’s biggest success stories was the development of Kane, who few had predicted could become a top striker during his younger days.

“The first time we spoke to Harry, we saw it and we felt it. We could see some of the details that gave him the potential to become one of the best strikers in England,” Pochettino wrote in a column for The Athletic.

“Harry got to the level we expected and showed in every single game why we believed in him. Very, very quickly, he became one of the best strikers in the Premier League. And he deserves all the credit for that. It’s down to his talent, his capacity to fight, always pushing the limit higher and higher. Now he’s one of the best players in the world.”

After a poor start to the 2019/20 season, Pochettino was sacked by Spurs. He returned to management the following year with former club PSG.

And the 50-year-old admitted that while he would have liked to have signed Kane to play alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe, he ultimately did not want to ‘affect’ Tottenham because of his lasting affection for them.

“They [Kane and Mbappe] would be completely compatible. 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,” he added.

“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.”