It’s been over two months since Jose Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur and, with the 2021/22 Premier League season just six weeks away, fans of the North London giants want to know who will be steering their team when they kick off at home to champions Manchester City on Sunday 15th August.
Spurs don’t seem to be any closer to an announcement after a few frustrating weeks of failed approaches. They couldn’t persuade former boss Mauricio Pochettino to return for a second stint, and so interim coach Ryan Mason is on standby to take training when the squad returns for pre-season training. He became the youngest Premier League manager, at 29, when he took over in April, but Spurs are looking for a more experienced boss for the new campaign.
They have made fruitless approaches to Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso, while Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag has decided to sign an extended contract with the Amsterdam club. The latest manager to snub the Whites was Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui and the situation is in danger of becoming farcical.
With speculation around the future of Harry Kane mounting, there might well be a rebuilding job for the incoming boss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The star striker has been a prolific marksman for club and country, but he’s yet to score for England at the Euros and looks a little distracted to say the least.
The early Premier League 2021 betting odds here at SBOTOP offer a price of 41.00 on Tottenham Hotspur to win the league, and the priority for the new head coach will be to secure a Champions League place, either by ousting one of Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea from the top four as Manchester City will surely take their place.
That will be as tough a task as it sounds and it needs a strong leader at the helm to galvanise the club. So with a number of big names already ruled out let’s take a look at the most likely candidates for the Tottenham hot seat.
Nuno Espirito Santo
The managerial merry-go-round in the Premier League can often throw up some bewildering events and the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo from Wolves counts as one of them. He left by ‘mutual consent’ in May after four highly successful years at the club, taking over in 2017 and steering them to the Championship title in his first year in charge.
He led Wolves to seventh place in the 2018/19 season, their highest ever Premier League finish, taking them into the Europa League at the fist attempt and repeated the feat in 2019/20 with another seventh placed finish. An injury to star striker Raul Jimenez, a packed schedule and empty stadiums took their toll on the 2020/21 season and his team finished just below half way.
Wolves’ loss could be Spurs’ gain.
Roberto Martinez
One name that has been bandied around recently is that of Roberto Martinez. The former Everton head coach is currently managing Belgium at Euro 2020 and the Red Devils are going well, winning all three of their group games, but he might be persuaded to return to club football if the right offer comes along. It would be huge Premier League 2021 news if Spurs manage to persuade Martinez to join them but it could be a great fit. He knows the Premier League inside out and has a reputation for getting the best out of his players.
Graham Potter
Reports which initially surfaced in the Italian press have suggested that the Spurs board has made contact with Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter. The 46 year old is highly regarded, having kept the Seagulls in the top flight in his two seasons in charge. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is an admirer and Potter is renowned for coaching his teams to play attractive, attacking football which would suit the Spurs faithful. He has also developed a more pragmatic side when needs must at the bottom end of the table.
Potter has a bright future ahead but I’m not sure how Spurs fans would feel about a relatively low profile appointment.
Steven Gerrard
One more name which has entered the frame is that of Steven Gerrard, though he doesn’t yet have an established track record of success as a manager. Gerrard was one of the best players of his generation in the Premier League, winning the Champions League with Liverpool and his managerial career has started impressively. In his third season as boss at Ibrox Park, Rangers swept to the Scottish title for the first time in ten years. At 41 his is still cutting his teeth as a boss but he has already been linked with Newcastle United and he is certain to head south to England before too long.
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