Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly agreed a deal to become Manchester United manager, with the club expected to part ways with Michael Carrick imminently. As supporters await the Argentine's arrival at Old Trafford, attention is turning to his record in the transfer market.
Across spells at Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea, the 54-year-old has made 42 Premier League signings, producing both bargain stars and costly failures. Here, Express Sport has ranked every one of those acquisitions from worst to best, weighing up the transfer fee and value for money, how each signing fared for the club, and how well they performed under Pochettino himself.
The Bottom of the Rankings
At number 42 is Tanguy Ndombele, who ranks not only as Pochettino's worst Premier League signing but also has a strong case for being Tottenham's worst. The Frenchman arrived for a club-record £55 million, yet rarely showed anything to suggest he was worth even a fraction of that fee. After two-and-a-half disappointing seasons in north London, his contract was eventually terminated by mutual consent.
Number 41 is Dani Osvaldo, another club-record signing, this time for Southampton. The Italian arrived from Roma for £12.8 million with plenty of promise, but things quickly went south at St Mary's. Just a few months into his spell, he was fined and banned following an incident of violent conduct. Three weeks later, he was suspended internally after fighting a team-mate, before being hastily shipped out on loan and having his contract terminated that summer.
Deals That Never Worked Out
Vegard Forren ranks at number 40. Southampton signed the Norwegian on the day Pochettino was appointed at St Mary's in January 2013, so he had nothing to do with the £2.5 million deal that brought Forren from Molde. He wanted nothing to do with him either. Forren failed to make a single appearance under the Argentine and re-joined Molde that summer.
At number 39 is Jack Clarke, who joined Tottenham from Leeds in 2019 in a deal worth just over £10 million. He never made a single senior appearance for the club and was eventually sold for nothing three years later.
