Mauricio Pochettino has given what many see as the most direct signal yet about his thinking beyond the World Cup, admitting he misses English football as speculation about a return to Tottenham Hotspur gathers pace. The former Tottenham manager has been linked with a summer move back to the Premier League as Spurs prepare to appoint a permanent successor.

Pochettino said: “For anyone with a competitive spirit who wants to measure themselves against others and test their abilities, it’s the ideal place. There, you have to constantly give your best.” That admission underlines why a return to England would suit his temperament, even as his current focus remains the USMNT and a deep run at the World Cup.

Interim boss Igor Tudor will remain in charge at Tottenham until the summer, and the opportunity to reunite with Pochettino is expected to arise when the club seeks a permanent manager. Tottenham’s recent fixtures have amplified pressure on the interim set-up. West Ham United’s 2–0 defeat at Aston Villa handed Spurs a chance to ease relegation concerns by building on their point at Anfield and a 3–2 victory over Atlético Madrid earlier in the week.

There had been a sense that Tudor had weathered an early storm ahead of the game against Forest, with signs his side might be turning a corner. Sunday’s defeat has cast doubts over the 47-year-old’s future, per The Telegraph. Tottenham confirmed on Monday that Tudor’s father, Mario, has passed away, and that is why Tudor was not available for media duties after the match.

Questions are growing about whether the club should move on from the Croat, with Spurs next scheduled to play on April 12 after the international break and the FA Cup quarterfinals. Some voices have urged the hierarchy, including sporting director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham, to appoint someone with close ties to the club if Tudor departs. While Pochettino remains a popular choice among supporters, the present season and his World Cup commitments make an immediate return unlikely. Beyond the tournament, the situation could change.

Arsenal centre back William Saliba has withdrawn from France’s World Cup warmups against Brazil and Colombia in the United States because of an ankle injury.

Saliba, who played at Wembley while managing the problem, had already been ruled out of Arsenal matches against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup and Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League earlier this month. Treatment and rest for a minimum of 10 days is the prescribed course of action for the centre back.

The club will monitor him closely during that period. The initial rest period will come to an end for Saliba at the start of April, with Arsenal staff likely to be regularly assessing his health across those 10 days. The Gunners’ first match back is an FA Cup quarterfinal away at Southampton on April 4.

Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacriox has been offered a debut France callup in Saliba’s absence and will immediately travel to the national team’s base at Clairefontaine. Once all players have reported, the French squad will fly to the United States. Thursday’s match against Brazil takes place in Foxborough, Mass., followed by Colombia in Landover, Md., three days later on Sunday. Les Bleus will hope to win both matches, potentially cementing their status as favorite to win a second World Cup in eight years.

It appears very much to be a case of a managed injury rather than a major absence, but Saliba’s availability matters. He is considered crucial to Arsenal’s hopes of still winning up to three trophies in what remains of 2025–26.

Facing a lower-league opponent in the FA Cup could be helpful. Arsenal have exclusively faced teams from England’s Championship or League One in the competition so far this season, and Saliba has only made a single 61-minute appearance in the FA Cup.

A more testing fixture follows three days after Southampton when Arsenal travel to Lisbon for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Sporting CP.

Schedule

April 4 — Southampton (A) — FA Cup quarterfinals
April 7 — Sporting CP (A) — Champions League quarterfinal first leg
April 11 — Bournemouth (H) — Premier League
April 15 — Sporting CP (H) — Champions League quarterfinal second leg

Alexander Isak was left out of Sweden’s World Cup playoff squad, a development that confirmed the cautious stance Liverpool have taken over the striker’s comeback. The Sweden omission followed suggestions from his international manager Graham Potter that the playoffs could represent a potential return window, but Potter’s squad for the clash with Ukraine did not include Isak.

Potter accepted the limits of the situation. “There’s nothing we can do about it,” the former Chelsea manager lamented. “It’s sad to lose players due to injuries, it’s like that for all teams.” He added: “But we have a very good group, I believe in the squad and am sure that together we can find good solutions and focus on our task.” Sweden can call upon Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres in Isak’s absence and must beat Ukraine and then the winner of Poland’s semifinal with Albania to reach the 2026 World Cup.

Liverpool’s Arne Slot has repeatedly resisted setting a return date for the club’s record signing and was relieved by the international decision. The club remain focused on a Saturday lunchtime trip to Brighton which will be without Isak.

There was optimism when Isak was seen in an individual session with Liverpool this week, swapping running shoes for boots and getting a feel for the ball. Slot was quick to temper that enthusiasm. “As long as you don’t train with the team yet, you are not ready to play,” Liverpool’s head coach sternly warned, definitively ruling Isak out of any fixtures until April at the earliest.

Slot also stressed the graduated nature of the return. “And as we all know, if you’ve done for months only individual sessions, it’s also quite a step up to train with the team, and when you train with the team it’s quite a step up to play at Premier League intensity or Champions League intensity,” he said.

Those concerns are heightened by a demanding schedule. After Brighton the Reds face Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in a compact period that includes FA Cup and Champions League quarterfinals, plus a Merseyside derby at Everton’s new home before the end of April. With Hugo Ekitiké’s minutes limited, having the option of introducing Isak late in matches could still prove valuable once he is fully ready.