Report: Spurs may turn to Portuguese manager they almost hired in 2021

The Times have suggested that Lille’s Paulo Fonseca could be a contender to replace Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur.

Fonseca, who parted ways with Roma after leading the club to a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Serie A in 2020-21, was one of the candidates the North London club spoke with before they appointed Nuno Espirito Santo in the summer of 2021 (Evening Standard).

The Athletic reported at the time that Spurs had even struck an agreement with the Portuguese coach on a two-year contract with the option of a third.

The publication explained that the move eventually collapsed since Fabio Paratici had disagreements with Fonesca over transfer policies and found the 50-year-old to have no clear plan regarding his backroom staff. 

Spurs are now once again on the lookout for a new manager for a third time in less than two years, with reports over recent days indicating that the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Luis Enrique, Steve Cooper, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank and Marco Silva are all in consideration for the hot seat (The Athletic).

The Times have now stated that two more names are also on the club’s wishlist – Fonseca and Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.

The publication claims that it was Paratici who pulled the plug on Fonseca’s move to Spurs in 2021 and suggests that the Lille head coach could once again become an option since the Tottenham managing director’s future at N17 is far from certain.

Spurs Web Opinion

Multiple publications have revealed over the last couple of days that Paratici has been handed the responsibility of picking Conte’s successor.

It is unlikely that the Italian is going to turn to Fonseca. Besides, the 50-year-old has hardly set the world alight at Lille. 

While Postecoglou is a talented coach, the Scottish League is at par with League One or League Two in terms of the player quality and managerial talent in the division.

So, it will be a massive risk to give the Australian a big Premier League job.