Newcastle's prospective new Saudi owners led by Mohammed bin Salman are keen on attracting a big-name manager to the club with ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino on the list of targets.
And Darren Bent feels appointing Pochettino as Newcastle manager – once their takeover bid goes through – will be a big mistake.
But Bent feels Pochettino cannot yet be considered world-class and says Steve Bruce deserves a chance to prove he is the right man for the role.
“I think he’s a very good manager but he’s not world-class,” Bent told talkSPORT regarding Pochettino.
“He’s got to win things; Jurgen Klopp is a world-class manager – would you put Pochettino in that same bracket?
“I think Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, [Jose] Mourinho… He’s a very good manager but I wouldn’t put him in that category.
“The way Klopp has transformed Liverpool, the culture, everything; yes, he’s been given money but he’s put his imprint onto that team.
“Poch got Spurs to a certain level but he was unable to get them to a trophy.
“I think once he gets to a big club and starts winning consistently then fair enough – but the top class managers in the country, like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, all won trophies.”
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Bent went on to urge Newcastle's new owners to stick with their current manager.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
