With news recently surfacing that Antonio Conte and Tottenham will likely part ways come the end of the season, we are now potentially facing yet another managerial hunt (Daily Mail and TuttoMercatoWeb).
The Italian has always been hesitant to publicly commit to Spurs and his future at N17 (Mirror), and the initial 18-month contract he signed appears no nearer to being extended than it did at the end of last season.
Add to that the possibility of new ownership at the club, and it could be a summer of wholesale change at Tottenham; a daunting, exciting, and somewhat frightening prospect for fans.
Hopefully, if we are on the hunt for a new manager, we will have learned from times gone by, as we certainly don’t want a repeat of the summer of 2021 which eventually saw the underwhelming appointment of Nuno Espirito Santos.
With that in mind, if they are still in charge come the end of the season, let’s hope Levy and co can be more proactive this time around, so here are five candidates, none of whom are named Mauricio Pochettino, who could take the wheel at N17.
Thomas Tuchel
Andre Villas-Boas. Jose Mourinho. Antonio Conte. Thomas Tuchel? Is anyone seeing a pattern?
Whilst it has become a joke that Levy is partial to an ex-Chelsea manager, given his pedigree and managerial track record it’s hard to ignore Tuchel.
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The German has enjoyed successful spells with Borussia Dortmund, PSG, and most recently Chelsea, where Tuchel delivered an unprecedented Champions League, led the Blues to three more cup finals, and a top-four finish.
Granted, it always seems to end in tears whenever Tuchel departs, but of all candidates on this list, he may be the one most qualified to deliver some much-needed silverware to Tottenham.
Roberto de Zerbi
Roberto de Zerbi arrived at Brighton to replace the seemingly irreplaceable Graham Potter, and whilst the bar appeared to be set unreachable high, the Italian has actually managed to raise it.
Since taking over at Brighton, de Zerbi boasts a decent Premier League record of 5 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, whilst he bested Arsenal in the Carabao Cup being the only side to beat the Gunners at home this season (Transfermarkt).
But results aside, the standout factor of De Zerbi is the brand of football he has instilled at the Amex, as since his arrival they’ve scored an unprecedented 37 goals in 16 games, getting the best out of wingers Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March and introducing youngster Evan Ferguson into the fold.
If we could lure him away from Brighton, de Zerbi looks like a fresh, innovative, tactically-astute coach, and could be the man to lead the impending rebuild at N17.
Luis Enrique
Having been out of a job since Spain’s exit at the Qatar World Cup, Luis Enrique could help take Tottenham to the next level.
Enrique is most well known for his illustrious treble-winning season in his first year in charge at Barcelona, however he also has a Spanish and UEFA Supercup to his name, another two Spanish Cups, another La Liga title, and a Club World Cup.
The Spaniard was also named the world’s best coach in 2014/15, and is certainly capable of producing the free-flowing attacking football coveted at N17.
Moreover, Enrique had impressed as the Spain coach, helping transition a once World Cup-winning side and coming painfully close to a spot in the Euro 2020 only missing out on penalties to eventual winners Italy.
If Tottenham is looking for a seasoned campaigner who could take us to the next level, Enrique is definitely worth considering, and he will likely be keen to re-enter management come the summer.
Ruben Amorim
Perhaps the lowest profile name on this list, we’ve already faced Amorim twice this season, and it didn’t go particularly well on either occasion.
Acting as the current Sporting Lisbon manager, Amorim led his side to an impressive win and draw against us in the Champions League group stages, but this was no freak incident.
Since taking over at Sporting, the 38-year-old boasts a magnificent 2.22 points per game record, lifting the Portuguese league, League Cup, and Super Cup in the process.
Moreover, Amorim favours three back formations – particularly the 3-4-3, meaning the composition of our current squad could be a seamless fit for the Portuguese, and hopefully it may see him link up with his soon-to-be former player Pedro Porro.
As far as young, hungry managers go, there are few better candidates out there than the Sporting Lisbon boss.
Graham Potter
Granted, this one’s a wildcard, but hear me out.
Under Roman Abramovic, Chelsea were an unpredictable, irrational side at best, and if their transfer dealings are anything to go by they haven’t changed under Todd Bohely.
It’s completely plausible that Graham Potter will be back in the job market come the summer, and if that is the case, he could make a fine appointment for Tottenham.
Ignore the fact he’s another ex-Chelsea manager, in fact, ignore his time at Chelsea altogether; what you’re left with is an exciting, innovative manager we’d have welcomed at N17 18 months ago.
At Brighton, Potter was one of the best managers in the league, and his backroom staff and talent identification team had shown their class time and again delivering several elite-level signings from seemingly nowhere.
Admittedly, the Englishman is the least likely of these candidates to occupy Spurs’ dugout next season, but stranger things have happened, after all, who ever thought Mourinho would have dawned the Lilywhite of Tottenham?
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