Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a crushing setback in their attempts to bring Mauricio Pochettino back to the club...

What's the word?

According to ever-reliable football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, Spurs' attempts to rehire the 49-year-old have hit a "major roadblock," though the club have not given up hope of securing him.

It's thought that the Argentine is open to returning to North London, having held talks with chairman Daniel Levy, who sacked him in November 2019 after a poor run of form.

Gold claims that Paris Saint-Germain have no intention of letting Pochettino go, with his "dream" club Real Madrid also keen on him succeeding Zinedine Zidane at the Bernabeu.

Reports in France, via football.london, suggest that the Ligue 1 giants have even taken up the option in his deal, meaning he would be tied down at Les Parcs des Princes until 2023, meaning the Lilywhites would have to pay a substantial amount in compensation.

Crushing blow

This will come as a gutting blow to many in North London, particularly the Spurs faithful, who had been dreaming of Pochettino's sensation return since news first emerged last week.

As relayed by This is Futbol, many supporters couldn't contain their excitement over the 49-year-old potentially coming back to the club. One fan claimed it was "like Christmas Eve" whilst another said he was "salivating uncontrollably".

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However, their reactions have quickly changed in response to Gold's latest bombshell, with the Lilywhites' faithful slamming the board, suggesting that they are "stupid" whilst others deemed the situation "embarrassing".

It has now been just over six weeks since Jose Mourinho received his P45 from Levy and, in that time, the Portuguese has already found his next managerial position - joining AS Roma - whilst Spurs still appear in limbo.

They have seen many potential candidates come and go, including mooted top targets Julian Nagelsmann, who has swapped RB Leipzig for Bayern Munich, and Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers, who would rather remain at the King Power Stadium - understandably.

This news over Pochettino means Spurs are even further back in their managerial search and at this stage, that has to be a worrying prospect.

Right now, the North London giants are heading into the European Championships and the summer in a complete mess. They have no manager, Harry Kane wants to leave with three Premier League rivals keen on signing him, and many supporters want both Levy and owners ENIC gone.

The Spurs chairman may now have to turn to some of the uninspiring names left on his reported four-man shortlist, of which Everton failure Roberto Martinez and the inexperienced Graham Potter feature.

Levy better hope he gets this appointment right or he'll face a wrath of fury from the unhappy Lilywhites fanbase.

AND in other news, Levy can finally replace Jan Vertonghen with swoop for "amazing" £26m-rated beast who once bullied Kane...