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| Mauricio Pochettino (left) says Diego Simeone is good enough to manage in the Premier League |
DIEGO SIMEONE has proved he is good enough to manage Chelsea, claims Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Simeone, 45, is on the list of candidates to take over at Stamford Bridge next season.
The Atletico Madrid boss is reportedly keen on managing in the Premier League.
He was appointed Atletico boss 12 days after Espanyol, then managed by Pochettino, had beaten the Madrid side 4-2 in December 2011.
And Argentine Pochettino joked that Simeone wouldn't have got his big break if it wasn't for him.
“Diego Simeone is a very good friend and a great manager, and he has showed his potential at Atletico," Pochettino said.
“I don’t know what will happen at Chelsea in the future. We started coaching at around the same time – he was in Argentina, I was in Spain.
"When he came to Spain it was soon after we beat Atletico, and so there was the chance for him to come.
“I think maybe he needs to say thank you to me! He is a great manager and a great man.
"We have a very good relationship because we played together for the national team.”
Spurs host Norwich on Boxing Day while Chelsea play Watford at home.
Guus Hiddink, who replaced Jose Mourinho as Chelsea manager on Monday, will remain in the job until next summer.
Pep Guardiola is Blues owner Roman Abramovich's top target to succeed Hiddink.
Guardiola has already revealed he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
But if Chelsea fail to land the Spaniard they could move for Simeone, with Paris Saint-Germain's Laurent Blanc and Italy head coach Antonio Conte other candidates for the post.
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