Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has said that Porto head coach Sergio Conceicao is one of the names that Fabio Paratici is eyeing to replace Antonio Conte at Tottenham, alongside former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique.
The Athletic were the first ones to report a couple of weeks ago that Enrique could rank high on Paratici’s wishlist, with the Spurs managing director of football alleged to have been a fan of the Spaniard for a long time.
On Tuesday, The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick backed up the claim that Paratici is in charge of picking Conte’s successor and also asserted that Enrique is likely to be the Italian’s top choice.
Gold has now become the latest journalist to speak of Paratici’s fondness for the former Barcelona boss but the journalist also threw another name into the hat in the form of Conceicao, who he suggested could be on the verge of leaving Porto.
When asked if there were truth to reports of Enrique being Tottenham’s top choice, Gold responded in a Q&A on Football.London: “I think the prospect of managing Tottenham will be a big draw for most coaches.
“They have some of the best training facilities in the world, aside from the best stadium, but they will all have to be convinced about what their target is, whether it’s realistic and what is the ceiling for them at Spurs.
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“Conte’s very public tirade will have been noted by many potential candidates but there’s also an element of ego to most of the top coaches. They believe that they can be the one who breaks the cycle.
“Luis Enrique would be a fascinating choice and he’s someone Fabio Paratici loves, along with Porto boss Sergio Conceicao, who is reportedly considering stepping down at the Portuguese side.
“Enrique’s football is very different to Conte’s and would require a revamping of the squad, which might be no bad thing.
“There’s also an element of risk with the Spaniard when it comes to his lack of success outside of his club management in his homeland, mainly those two seasons at Barcelona, and trying to apply his methods quickly at a Premier League club aiming to remain a top four club would be a big task.”
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As Gold points out, Enrique will be quite a risky appointment due to his lack of Premier League experience.
While the 52-year-old’s football would be different to that of Conte’s and Mourinho’s, his personality is quite similar, with the Spaniard having a reputation for being dictatorial and even falling out with some players in the past.
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