Mauricio Pochettino says his chairman Daniel Levy is a tough man for rival clubs to negotiate with, but he feels he has an advantage over his predecessors in his own dealings with his boss because he doesn’t have an agent.
Pochettino will face his suitors Manchester United on Sunday, with sources saying that he remains the No. 1 target as the next permanent manager at Old Trafford.
The Argentine has shown little desire to leave Spurs — indeed he stated just last week that he can envisage himself staying for 20 years.
But he is aware that Levy makes it as difficult as possible for other clubs to rob him of key personnel.
“Daniel is, you know very well, it’s so tough to negotiate with him,” said Pochettino. “It’s so difficult for different clubs in England to do business with him.
“For me, it’s the opposite. For me, if there was one person that was easy to do business with it was Daniel, personally.
“For me it wasn’t difficult — I think it was more difficult for him than me. It’s difficult because I’m the manager and he cannot upset me. If we’re talking about extending a contract or giving more money, you need to be careful.
“With agents, you can talk very openly and say anything that you want and then the agent will manage the situation. But when you’re talking directly to your manager, you need to be careful because one word can change the negotiation or change your mind. I think for him that was new and it was tough every time he needed to talk to me.
“I negotiate harder when I’m talking about my staff. I’m more tough when I talk about them because I feel a massive responsibility when I talk about the people I bring with me, because they depend on me.”
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