Which manager considered to be in that elite group of real top quality managers would be happy to join a club with the 6th biggest wage budget and 6th biggest transfer budget, yet expected to deliver constant top 4 finishes? Granted we might be able to attract somebody like Mourinho (available due to being sacked from his previous few positions due to not doing well enough despite having far more to spend than Levy has been giving his managers) but I think it's more likely we'll be having to take on an up and coming manager instead. That might mean the excitement of a Ten Haag or perhaps it would mean an Eddie Howe? I would rather be sure that Pochettino cannot rebuild this team before we take that gamble as the standard odds of 'most money available = most likely for team to be at the top' means we are more likely to regress compared to Pochettino's reign than we are to improve.
Despite peoples reluctance to accept it, Mourinho has worked within a budget before, and has clearly signalled he would be interested.
Similarly Allegri. Not that I like him at all, but his CV is impressive - Ive no doubt we could pull in Benitez as well.
There are quality managers that would be available to us. If we were to pursue that level/style/type of candidate.
Personally I like a more up and coming sort, thats the romantic in me. Ten Haag would be a very exciting move, and Ive already stated my appreciation for Espirito Santo. No Eddie Howe though, not yet, he isnt ripe enough.
And regardless of spending potential, we have an excellent squad - more than capable of finishing in the top 4, and IMO capable of a title push with a couple of key buys.
So despite our being the poor relation, we are also a club of enormous potential - and IMO an attractive prospect to just about anyone.
IF Poch has peaked, IF he has reached his limit, then a change is essential. And another change after that if necessary. Regular rotation of management staff has done Chelsea no harm at all, for example. Despite being scum, despite having to suffer two separate terms of Mourinho, they have gone from strength to strength and have a cabinet full of trophies to go with it. And in more recent years - without spending fortunes either.
While I prefer the idea of a long standing, stable management set up - it is not essential. And, as you point to the like of Wenger - its not even always preferable.
Lets assume Poch cannot rebuild this team, he will fail. By the time you have cottoned onto that - what will be the cost?
Can we afford to write off this season? Can we afford to let him spend next summer, only to find ourselves in the same place next November? Will we be able to keep the likes of Kane? Even with midtable finishes and a declining manager?
How long you let it go directly impacts how much it can cost the club. And potentially how far the club will be set back.
While I do not advocate sacking Poch off right now, I do think he is nearing the point of no return where things need to change - and fast - or else he will have to go.
I think blanket statements of "He should have the whole season regardless" are actually rather dangerous. He should only see the season out, IMO, if there are signs of improvement and the restoration of us to where we should be.
And where we should be, right now, is 3rd chasing the top 2. Thats not arrogance, thats not getting ahead of ones self or forgetting where we came from, thats a fair assessment of us as a club vs our rivals.
Over a quarter of the season gone, and we are twice as close to the relegation places as we are 4th, we are struggling in the CL and we have been knocked out of the League Cup by a League 2 minnow.
This is not over reaction, this is significant decline - unless we see some improvement there really can be only one outcome.
And the idea of time and patience is rapidly losing weight.
