Mauricio Pochettino has said he is “open to listen to projects”, less than two weeks after being sacked by Tottenham.

The former Argentina defender was sacked by Spurs in November after five years at the club. The 47-year-old has returned to Argentina for a break but insisted he was ready for a new challenge and is looking for another job in Europe. Arsenal are seeking a new manager after sacking Unai Emery, while Bayern Munich are yet to find a permanent replacement for Niko Kovac.

“There are a lot of clubs and attractive projects for me to take on,” Pochettino told Fox Sports Argentina. “It is my intention to return to manage in Europe. But now I need to be calm for a few days and see what happens.”

Pochettino steered Spurs to the Champions League final last season but oversaw only three Premier League wins amid a turbulent start to the new season. Tottenham were 14th when Pochettino departed but two straight league wins for his replacement, José Mourinho, have seen Spurs jump to fifth.

“For the time being the most important thing is for me to clear my head after five and a half incredible seasons with Tottenham,” Pochettino said. “My aim is to seek the ability to rebuild myself and get my self-motivation back. I haven’t had a lot of time to digest what has happened with me.

“My first decision was to come back to Argentina, return to my home and see family and friends. My best decision was to come to Argentina to switch off for 10 days. But I expect to return to Europe to make decisions on my future. At my age I don’t need a lot of time to recover. I am open to listen to projects put before me.”