Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has ruled out managing Barcelona in the future, describing it as an "impossible" move.
The La Liga giants are in the market for a new manager this summer after Luis Enrique announced his intention to step down at the end of the season, and Pochettino is among the names in the frame following his impressive work at the helm of Spurs.
Speculation intensified after the Argentine was spotted meeting with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu last week, but speaking to reporters today, Pochettino insisted that the encounter was merely "a coincidence".
"It was a coincidence in a bar in Barcelona last Tuesday because I've known him for a long time [since] before he became chairman of Barcelona and you know, many people around us saw us and said hello," he said.
"We spent five minutes together but that was the reality and you know, the rumours after are impossible to stop. But I am an Espanyol supporter and I think I don't need to say too much.
"It's like if one day [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy sacked me after a few years, for me it would be impossible to manage Arsenal. I think in football, sometimes, I know that it is so difficult to keep values and to be loyal with your heart and your emotions, but for me, before being a manager, before being a player, being loyal is more important to be honest and I am an Espanyol fan.
"I love Espanyol and like now Tottenham for me, it would be impossible one day to move to Arsenal. It would be impossible."
After spending much of his playing career with Espanyol, Pochettino took his first foray into management with the side before moving to the Premier League with Southampton in 2013.
Neil Wilkes
