In November 2019, a couple of weeks after he had been sacked by Tottenham, a forlorn Mauricio Pochettino received an intriguing proposition.
The Argentine wasn't over his dismissal. For him, the timing wasn't right. He believed he could have rekindled a struggling team who had reached the Champions League final only a few months earlier.
His sacking alerted Arsenal, who were ready to dismiss Unai Emery. Pochettino was of interest. He was authentic, charismatic and his teams were attractive. There was plenty to like - although there was acknowledgment that his Spurs connections would make the appointment difficult.