Mauricio Pochettino has argued that Tottenham should be awarded the 2016-17 Premier League title, claiming the competition was unfair due to Chelsea's undisclosed third-party payments between 2011 and 2018. Chelsea were fined £10.75 million and received a nine-month academy transfer ban in March 2026 for breaching Premier League rules, though the league stated they would not have violated financial regulations had the payments been disclosed. Pochettino, who guided Spurs to second place behind Antonio Conte's Chelsea that season, stated: "If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title was for the second best team." He emphasized that Chelsea's rule-breaking meant Tottenham did not compete under the same conditions, suggesting Spurs could have signed better players or scored more goals with equal transparency.

Pochettino, now the United States men's national team coach, acknowledged Chelsea fans would be upset but maintained he would admit fault if Tottenham had broken rules. He reflected on his five-year tenure at Spurs, including their 2019 Champions League final run, and expressed empathy for Daniel Levy, whom he believes now understands the pain of being sacked after 25 years at the club. Pochettino also confirmed he would have helped Tottenham avoid relegation to the Championship had he not been committed to the World Cup, stating: "It's the only club that always I am open to help.".