Mauricio Pochettino is seriously considering walking out of Tottenham to join Real Madrid, according to Yahoo Sport, following Saturday's FA Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Manchester United.

If he did so, that would be an incredibly impetuous decision, which would erode all pretences of incremental progress that the club and the Argentine have claimed are taking place in North London.

What's the story, then?

The report claims that Madrid are running out of patience with Zinedine Zidane and are beginning to sound out Pochettino as their lead candidate to replace the Frenchman.

It goes on to say that Pochettino may well be willing to sacrifice his long-term vision to realise his ambition of managing the Spanish giants.

Following the defeat against United last weekend, Pochettino also referenced the progress that Spurs could make under him "or another", sparking fears that his time at the club could be coming to an end.

It would spark chaos at Spurs

The draw of Real Madrid is understandable but Pochettino has constantly preached the virtue of gradual progression and his continued loyalty runs through the heart of that.

His commitment is essential to ensure that the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli stick around to see the project through, looking past the immediate absence of trophies to remain at a club where there is the feeling of something building up.

Pochettino walking out for a genuine European giant would knock all the stuffing out of the Spurs revolution and it would be all the more damaging as it feels like a temperamental reaction to a defeat in a big match.

Tottenham have made a lot of progress under him but it would be a body blow to everyone connected to the club if he walked away at this stage. It simply cannot be allowed to happen.

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