Of all the names that could be associated with the English Premier League, Saddam Hussein's might seem the least likely. However, the late Iraqi leader's name is now trending in football circles thanks to Tottenham Hotspur's decision to fire their manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The North London club on Wednesday appointed former Chelsea gaffer Jose Mourinho as their manager, terminating Pochettino's services citing poor recent performances. The Argentine's untimely ouster after leading the club to their first European final last season stirred a hornet's nest with many pundits and former players suggesting where he could be heading next.
While unconfirmed reports say that Spanish champions Barcelona and English giants Manchester United are interested in inking a deal with Pochettino, veteran manager Harry Redknapp said the 47-year-old should join Spurs' local rivals Arsenal who are currently struggling to find form. Redknapp, who managed Tottenham from 2008–2012, used a bizarre Saddam Hussein analogy to support his argument.
The 72-year-old said the rivalry is no reason for Pochettino to reject a move to the Emirates as fans will love any manager who can win games for their side - even if it is Saddam Hussein.
"Why shouldn’t he go to Arsenal if he wants to? You think the Arsenal fans wouldn’t love him there? If you go in there and start winning football matches, they would have taken Saddam Hussein in there when he was about, the fans don’t give a monkeys! If you start winning every week, they’re singing ‘there’s only one Saddam,'" Redknapp told talkSPORT during an interview.
Redknapp said switching allegiance is a common practice in football pointing out earlier instances of the same from history. “It happens in football – Sol Campbell went from Tottenham to Arsenal, George Graham did it, Terry Neill did it, Pat Jennings, one of our greatest goalkeepers in history, even he made the change," he said.
Arsenal is currently sixth in the Premier League, finding it difficult to cope up with the pace of teams like Liverpool and Manchester City. Manager Unai Emery's fallout with star midfielder Mesut Ozil and captain Granit Xhaka's uneasiness with the fans have made it a harsh season for the Gunners.
Argentine Pochettino was sacked as Tottenham sit 14th in the league table, picking up just three wins from their opening 12 games, and were eliminated from the League Cup in September by fourth-tier Colchester United. However, he had changed Spurs' fortunes since arriving from Southampton in 2014 despite failing to win a trophy in his five-and-a-half years in charge.
During his five full seasons in charge, Tottenham qualified for the Champions League four times, culminating in a dramatic run to the club's first-ever European Cup final in June, which they lost 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid. Pochettino's success came from nurturing a squad of young players into household names such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen -- who are now among the most sought after players in Europe.
Saddam Hussein was the President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, who was overthrown by a US-led coalition for allegedly possessing weapons of mass destruction. He was executed on 30 December 2006.