4 top candidates for Tottenham Hotspur's manager role
Antonio Conte was sacked at the end of March this year by Tottenham Hotspur. Conte was out of contract at the end of the season but Spurs decided enough was enough and his stay was cut short.
The Italian guided Spurs to a fourth place finish last season. But they found themselves out of the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup at the time of his dismissal.
His assistant manager Cristian Stellini took interim charge. When Spurs lost 6-1 against Newcastle United to move six points behind top four, he was also sacked. Former player Ryan Mason then took up the job temporarily until the end of the season.
Almost three months on, Spurs have not announced any new manager with several ongoing rumours.
Today, we look at four candidates Spurs could be looking at for the managerial job.
#1 Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique is without a job after leaving Spain following their 2022 World Cup exit to Morocco. Enrique won two La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey's and a Champions League during his time at FC Barcelona.
The Spaniard deploys a possesion heavy system that is easy on the eye and could bring entertaining football back to Spurs. Under Jose Mourinho and Conte, Spurs fans have suggested the football has not been as entertaining because they seeked to win trophies. Enrique comes with experience of winning trophies and entertaining football.
Napoli are linked with Enrique following Luciano Spaletti's departure from the Serie A champions. Despite this, accorrding to football.london, the Napoli CEO hinted that Enrique "prefers the Premier League." This will come as encouraging news for Spurs if they think Enrique is their man.
#2 Julian Nagelsmann
Julian Nagelsmann is a young hungry coach, at only 35 years old the German has plenty experience. His first job came in 2016 with Hoffenheim; he qualified for the Champions League with Hoffenheim for the first time in club's history.
This success earned him a move to RB Leipzig where he lead the club to the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2019/20 season.
Following the departure of Hansi Flick, Bayern Munich announced the arrival of Nagelsmann on a five-year deal. He won the Bundesliga title in the 2021/22 season.
However, with Bayern in 2nd place behind Borussia Dortmund, Nagelsmann was sacked in March. This came with Bayern still in the Champions League and the DFB-Pokal.
Nagelsmann plays high-pressing football and can bring entertaining football to Spurs. With a proven track record he could be the young hungry coach Spurs need to bring some life back into the club.
#3 Ange Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou is a name that has split Spurs fans. He does not have the reputation of the previous managers mentioned but he has a pretty solid track record.
Postecoglou has been in the managerial game since 1996 but has became a better known name the past few years. Between 2013 and 2017 he was the Australian national team manager; guiding the nation to its first AFC Asian Cup.
He then moved to Yokahoma F. Marinos where he won the J1 League in 2019. His success in Japan earned him a move to Scottish Premiership club Celtic in 2021. Postecoglou has lead Celtic to the title in each of the last two seasons, along with two Scottish League Cups.
Celtic deploy a highly intense style of football which has seen them gain 99 points in the Scottish Premiership, scoring 114 goals in the process. If Spurs want to take a chance, then Postecoglou could be the man.
#4 Graham Potter
Graham Potter's reputation was at an all-time high when Chelsea hired him to replace Thomas Tuchel. Brighton & Hove Albion played great football and finished on their record points tally two seasons in a row under Potter; finishing on 41 points in 2020/21 and 51 points in 2021/22.
Potter also had success at his previous clubs, Swansea City and Ostersund. He took over Ostersund when they were in the fourth tier and took them to the top flight of Swedish football. After winning a domestic cup, they qualified for the Europa League, where they reached the round of 32.
Swansea finished tenth under Potter in the 2018-19 season. This was enough for Brighton to be sold on the English manager as they hired him to replace Chris Hughton.
Potter's time at Chelsea is the only down point in his otherwise successful career. Chelsea signed a number of different players and it was Potter's job to get them playing together whilst also figuring out his best team. However, he never quite seemed to manage it. He was sacked after losing 11 of his 31 games at Chelsea, with the club in 11th place.
For Spurs, the hiring of Potter would be a risk due to his failure at their London rivals Chelsea. However, there is no denying Potter is an excellent coach and Chelsea was a job which never quite seemed to suit him.