Now there’s a question football fans.
In one corner you ask yourself, why wouldn’t any ambitious boss want the job?
After all, the North Londoners have arguably the best stadium in the world and possess players of the calibre of Harry Kane, Gareth Bale (on loan at least), Lucas Moura, and Asia’s greatest Premier League export Son Heung-Min.
So, if us here at SBOTOP will answer the question “Does anybody want the Spurs job?” it’s an emphatic yes.
Then you move over to the other corner and ask yourself, who would want to work with Daniel Levy given his track record as club chairman.
I mean, who would sack an experienced trophy-accumulating manager just six days before their chance to win silverware for only the second time in his tenure?
Furthermore, who would then appoint a 29-year-old rookie to take charge against arguably the best side in Europe right now.
Well, the answer to both those questions ends with Levy. And for those who don’t know, yes of course the Spurs lost the final just as Levy has with the majority of his key decisions.
Here is a man who has been at the helm since 2001 and finally got the man he sought for most of those two decades when Jose Mourinho was appointed Spurs boss in November 2019.
Now they have been left with an extensive list of potential candidates to consider as a replacement for the Portuguese boss.
Who was Tottenham’s first choice?
If reports are to be believed, their first choice was RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann.
It appears the German had offered some encouragement to Spurs when they initially sounded him out earlier in the season about taking over from Mourinho.
That of course, was before Hansi Flick revealed his intention to quit Bayern Munich at the end of the season which may bring a clue to the bizarre timing of Mourinho’s dismissal.
Flick’s exit was confirmed on April 17, a day after Tottenham’s draw at Everton. And Mourinho was on the wrong end of Premier League 2021 news when he was sacked on the morning of the 19th.
But it was too late as it was announced German champions Bayern would be snapping Nagelsmann up at the end of the season.
Even if Nagelsmann had not pledged his future elsewhere, there’s an argument that Tottenham have opted for ambitious, bright, young managers before and had their fingers burnt – remember the Andre Villas-Boas experiment?
So who are the other managers, eligible or otherwise, on the market and on Tottenham’s radar amid the real prospect of a second successive season without Champions League football?
Examining the other possible contenders
Ajax manager Erik ten Hag was seemingly the second favourite but he has just signed a contract extension with the Amsterdam club that runs until 2023.
Closer to home, Brendan Rodgers is doing well at Leicester City. But even if he could be persuaded to leave the East Midlands, he is hardly of Mourinho’s calibre.
It is the same case for former player Scott Parker who oversaw Fulham’s return to the Premier League via the playoffs last season and has impressed this term, even if his side are in danger of going straight back down.
Another who has done well in the Premier League is Brighton boss Graham Potter who got his break in the Swedish fourth tier, leading Ostersund through the divisions and into the Europa League before arriving at Brighton via Swansea.
Again though, how would fans react to recruitment from the relegation battle?
In many ways though, the next choice may not be the issue so much as the fact that Levy does not appear to be a very patient man when his appointees begin to struggle which stretches beyond a few months.
There was even little time for arguably Levy’s three most successful appointments: Martin Jol promoted from assistant, Harry Redknapp lured from Portsmouth, or Mauricio Pochettino from Southampton – with the latter dismissed just three months into the season after he led them to the Champions League final.
In many ways, the final word should go to Pochettino who reportedly warned Levy of a painful rebuild that needed to take place, even before that final was reached but was not backed.
It’s been downhill ever since.
Tottenham need to exercise patience
My best friend is a Tottenham fan. And earlier this season when some were calling for Mourinho’s head after seeing their Premier League 2021 odds dwindle, I remarked to him that supporters should be careful what they wish for.
I stood by that comment then and even more so now.
Whoever agrees to take on the role – and it won’t be Levy’s first choice – needs to be given time to build his own team and move players in and out as he wishes, rather than be dismissed when a few bad results become a mini-slump or when player unrest becomes an issue.
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