Ranking Tottenham Hotspur managerial candidates
By Gary Pearson
1. Brendan Rodgers
While most people believe that Brendan Rodgers isn’t interested in jumping ship, he remains as Tottenham’s top candidate. Levy must pull out all the stops to convince the Northern Irishman to leave his post at Leicester.
The Foxes are on the cusp of securing a spot in next season’s Champions League, what would amount to yet another great accomplishment for Rodgers. He has already repeatedly stated how content he is at Leicester. But where there’s a will, hopefully there’s a way. But Tottenham will find it entirely more difficult to persuade Rodgers to leave Leicester if the Foxes clinch a Champions League berth, which, barring a complete collapse in the final two league matches, will be the case.
The fact that he just led Leicester to an FA Cup crown, with a 1-0 against Chelsea on Saturday, further decreases Tottenham’s chances of luring him away from the Foxes.
Tottenham are able to offer a more financially lucrative contract than the Foxes, which should help in their pursuit of the 48-year-old. But Tottenham have an uphill battle on their hands to convince Rodgers to change his mind about taking the help in north London.
Rodgers was a Steven Gerrard slip away from leading Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2013-14.
He led Celtic to a domestic treble in 2016–17 season, ending the season unbeaten in all domestic competitions. The following campaign was much the same for Rodgers and his formidable Celtic side, as they repeated as domestic treble champions.
Rodgers, like most of Spurs’ leading candidates, is also renowned for playing an offensive system which deploys a lone frontman. He is the pick of the litter and would suit life in north London exceedingly well. He’s got experience, a winning pedigree and the demeanour to thrive in managing Tottenham’s elite.
Appointing Rodgers would also help convince Kane to stay at Spurs for another season. Unfortunately at this stage landing Rodgers feels slightly ambitious, even aspirational.