Tottenham coach Conte was relieved of his duty on Sunday by mutual consent and now, Daniel Levy is on the hunt for a new coach
Tottenham has ousted Antonio Conte, and interim head coach Cristian Stellini will take over until the end of the current campaign. This means that Daniel Levy is currently seeking a new manager for the north London team for the fourth time since Mauricio Pochettino was fired in 2019. Even before Conte’s departure, he anticipated that he might be sacked before the season ends.
Any potential new manager will be well aware of the difficulties the north London club is experiencing, including the fans’ excruciatingly long wait for a trophy, the intense pressure to make the Champions League while competing against an increasing number of Premier League rivals, and the growing likelihood that their star player Harry Kane will try to leave the club in the summer.
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Here are four prominent possibilities that the Tottenham leadership is likely to be interested in:
- Mauricio Pochettino
- Julian Nagelsmann
- Pablo Fonseca
- Luis Enrique
Mauricio Pochettino
Former boss Pochettino is the front-runner and the first name on Spurs loyalists’ lips. During his lauded tenure, the Argentine coach led Tottenham to their two best-ever Premier League finishes and a Champions League final. He was instrumental in boosting Tottenham’s competitiveness while playing an exciting and attacking style of football.
He was quickly replaced by Jose Mourinho after losing his position in 2019 due to a poor run of performance. He hasn’t had a job since PSG let him go last season after he won the Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France with them. He’s been linked with a few openings recently, but it seems like he’s resisted all approaches.
According to people close to Pochetinno, the well-known instructor believes he has “unfinished business” with the Spurs. He continues to reside near Tottenham’s training facility in north London, and his family has also remained there. Although it was reported that he had a good working rapport with Levy up until his last few weeks, it is still unclear whether the Spurs owner would be open to working with a former employee again.
Julian Nagelsmann
Levy, who once contemplated luring the young German coach away from RB Leipzig when Pochettino left the team, is known to be a fan. As a result of Bayern Munich’s unexpected decision to part ways with the 35-year-old last week and replace him with Thomas Tuchel, Nagelsmann is a very recent free agent. He led Leipzig to a Champions League semi-final during his tenure there, as well as several Bundesliga top-four finishes.
He won two German Super Cups and one Bundesliga championship in the 2021–22 campaign before being fired by Bayern. He is a potential candidate for the Spurs board, and he may view a move to the Premier League as the ideal opportunity to rebuild, but if Real Madrid approaches, I doubt he will sign with the North London side.
Paulo Fonseca
Fonseca, a favorite of managing director Fabio Paratici, was on the short list for the position before Nuno Espirito Santo was eventually named manager by the team. English fans may not be too familiar with Portuguese coach Fonseca, but he is currently doing a great job at French Ligue 1 side Lille. The team is presently in sixth place and fighting for a remote chance to qualify for Europe after exceeding preseason expectations. Although he would be a long shot, Paratici is a famously forceful decision-maker at the club and may well use that trait to his advantage this time around.
Luis Enrique
Enrique is said to be eager to return to club management and has reportedly set his sights on trying his hand in the Premier League. Enrique is currently jobless after stepping down as manager of Spain’s national team following the World Cup. The former Roma and Barcelona manager had successful tenures in those positions.
He is renowned for playing attractive, direct, and exciting football, especially when it comes to quick counterattacks and moving from defense to the forwards. His approach might work well for the players already on the team and for what the Spurs supporters want to see. During his tenure at Camp Nou, he earned nine out of a possible 13 trophies, including a Club World Cup, a Champions League, two Spanish Super Cups, two La Liga championships, and three Copa del Rey medals. It might even be considered a triumph if Levy can persuade Enrique to join the team.
Tottenham coach now
As of today, Daniel Levy has appointed Christian Stellini, who used to be the assistant of Conte, is Tottenham’s coach. He will be assisted by Ryan Mason. The two are expected to take care of things at Tottenham until the end of the season.
I would not doubt it that Spurs may ask Stellini to continue with the team if he produces good results or better still, earns the team a Champions League qualification. Regardless, there are many options Daniel Levy can turn to.
