Ajax’s Erik ten Hag, with Julian Nagelsmann reportedly on the cusp of signing for Bayern Munich, has spring boarded to the top of Tottenham’s most wanted list.
The 51-year-old manager’s style represents a complete contrast to Spurs’ former short-lived regime under Jose Mourinho. Which is the primary reason Daniel Levy is seriously considering appointing the Dutchman as Tottenham’s next manager.
Ten Hag is known for a ferociously gung-ho philosophy, a high-tempo, attacking style analogous to Jose’s predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino. He favours a 4-3-3 system which prioritizes an unrelenting attack.
And with a prospective rebuild in the offing, Ten Hag’s refined ability to expeditiously develop young talent hits all of the right notes for Daniel Levy, who, like a heartbroken teen after an acrimonious uncoupling, wants a rebound manager who is his ex’s polar opposite.
Another box ticked for Ten Hag.
Nagelsmann, Spurs’ first choice to replace Mourinho, is about to take the plunge with Bayern, an appointment that had an air of inevitability.
Brendan Rodgers, another in Ley’s crosshairs, is committed to his project at Leicester. And why wouldn’t he be with the exceptional progress he’s already made with the Foxes, a top four spot almost assured.
Gareth Southgate and Roberto Martínez’s names have recently popped up on the radar. But both managers are unavailable until after the Euros, though neither, in my humble opinion, are the right fit for the job.
Another win for Ten Hag, whose direct competitors for the role are, as I write this, dropping like a lump of raw honey in a piping hot cup of coffee.
Ten Hag also has the pedigree and experience Levy requires in his next appointee. You’ll vividly and pleasantly recall Ajax’s participation in the 2019 Champions League semifinal, in which the miracle in Amsterdam manifested.
Ajax have scored 89 goals in 30 matches this season, 24 more than second place PSV. While the Eredivisie is a far superior league, Ten Hag’s attack-first ideology is clear.
But let’s remember he is Spurs third-turned-first choice. Levy can’t afford to rush into this decision, as getting another manager appointment wrong, on the back of the catastrophic decision to vouch for Jose, would be irreparably cataclysmic.
Concurrently, time is of the essence to secure a new manager, which creates yet another quagmire for Levy.
Prematurely sign Ten Hag because he is the best manager currently available or wait and potentially lose out on him while losing valuable time to start the off-season rebuild?
Suffice to say Levy better get this one right.