Richard Buxton: Better the devil you know, Poch

Deep down, Mauricio Pochettino knows it probably does not get much better than this.

Christmas has not come early for Tottenham Hotspur's manager. It is an everyday occurrence.

A comprehensive 2-0 win over Arsenal yesterday morning (Singapore time) not only booked the Lillywhites' place in the League Cup semi-finals, but also reaffirmed why the Argentinian would be making a fatal error of judgment by taking a leap into the unknown next summer.

One inactive transfer window aside, Pochettino has been armed with resources, including time, to rebuild Spurs' competitive stock.

They now stand just 180 minutes from reaching a first final in three years and continue to snap at the heels of the English Premier League's title contenders Liverpool and Manchester City.

He is also reaping the benefits of managing a club who can finally hold on to their best players.

Dele Alli, who assured victory at the Emirates Stadium, is one of several totems who has been regularly touted for pastures new yet choose to remain loyal to his manager's current cause.

Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, similarly, have refused to have their heads turned despite the allure of Real Madrid and Barcelona among their viable future destinations.

It is a far cry from the days when star players like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric were prised away from White Hart Lane with such regularity that you could virtually set timepieces to it.

Even those who have long been headed for the exit have been convinced that the grass is not necessarily greener elsewhere, with Jan Vertonghen recently committing his long-term future.

Why would Pochettino want to leave all this behind?

SHORT-TERM PAIN

Short-term pain may cloud his current thinking.

Emptying his pockets ahead of the clash with the Gunners hinted at an uncertain January market that could bring lasting consequences.

Tottenham's return to their spiritual home remains on hiatus while the novelty of a nomadism spent largely at Wembley, a stadium both cavernous in its appearance and history, has long faded.

Their pursuit of progress has been a quiet evolution aided by incremental changes.

A fear that limited resources may hinder their manager's best-laid plans is understandable with a squad that continues to hit its stride in spite of feeling the side effects from a gruelling World Cup.

But the alternatives open to Pochettino appear to be upgrades in name only.

Manchester United are increasingly a shadow of their former selves and drowning in a self-inflicted shiny things syndrome.

Real, meanwhile, continue to be Real; a club where president Florentino Perez's patience with those in the dugout wears thinner than his hairline.

Pochettino knows that he would not enjoy the same level of autonomy, be it at the Bernabeu or Old Trafford, that he has been afforded in four years with London side by chairman Daniel Levy.

Levy's showmanship as the clock ticks down on transfer deadline day has become notorious.

But he still bows to the superiority of his manager, something Perez and even his United counterpart Ed Woodward would struggle to reconcile in dealing with a new manager.

Attempts to arrest their respective mid-season shortcomings have seen both clubs desperately turn to figures from their recent glorious pasts.

Replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Santiago Solari is only likely to end one way for Pochettino, one of Europe's most exciting coaches.

Sometimes, it is better the devil you know than the Red Devil you don't.