As speculation about who Tottenham will hire as their next manager mounts, a shortlist of leading candidates allows us to delve into which leader is best suited for the job.
Scott Parker, Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter have been labelled as frontrunners for the position, while, to a lesser extent, the following managers are still considered to be in the mix: Simone Inzaghi, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Gian Piero Gasperini and Massimiliano Allegri.
So which of the leading candidates is cut out for the behemoth responsibility of taking Spurs to the next level? Here’s the grade of the leading quartet in order from least to most desirable.
4. Fulham’s Scott Parker
A Tottenham Hotspur cult hero, Scott Parker is still somehow in the running for the big job. Though his lack of experience and inability to keep Fulham in the Premier League will prevent him from landing the role, he’d be a perfect emotional, sentimental pick, as the former Tottenham player has close ties with the north London club.
He’s also come a long way in his first two years as a manager, leading Fulham to Premier League promotion at the end of last season.
However, Parker needs to remain at Craven Cottage for at least another few seasons before taking on a more prestigious role. Another season in the Championship will prepare him better for his next managerial role. It will make him more battle hardened and allow him to become a well rounded leader.
If this role comes up again in a few years — a probable outcome based on how quickly Spurs chew up and spit out managers — Parker could be the lead candidate. Until then he needs to hone his craft and build a more robust CV.
Overall Grade — D
3. Brighton’s Graham Potter
Graham Potter has created a puritan’s football culture during his time at Brighton. Credited with cultivating an incredibly pleasing brand of football, Potter has his team executing a dynamic style more expected from elite teams.
A possession-based team, Brighton has been drilled to play on the front foot, with relentlessly high energy. If Brighton capitalized on more of their chances, they’d be nestled safely in the top half of the table. Unfortunately Potter’s side are particularly wasteful in front of goal.
That wouldn’t be the case with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale as his primary attacking options. Akin to Parker, the main knock on Potter is his lack of experience at the top level of football management. He spent a year in Swansea before taking the helm at Brighton in 2019.
However, the same could be said for Mauricio Pochettino before being appointed as Spurs manager. Prior to landing the Tottenham job, the Argentine managed Espanyol for three years before a one-year pitstop in Southampton.
Potter is an intriguing option, but, akin to Parker, it’s unlikely Daniel Levy will entrust a manager of his comparatively minimal experience. Potter is a popular figure amongst Tottenham’s players, many of whom back the gaffer in his bid for the job. But that won’t be enough in his quest to land the job.
Overall Grade — C
2. Roberto Martinez
The current Belgian gaffer is in pole position to land the job. He promotes a free-flowing, enterprising brand of football, and he’s got bundles of experience at every level of football management.
Charismatic and particularly communicative, Martinez is a player’s manager. He clearly conveys his message to the players and is well liked among his peers. However, Martinez endured a difficult time as Everton’s gaffer, leaving the club after showcasing an inability to shore up the side’s porous defence. Martinez led Everton to a fifth place finish in his first season on Merseyside. He followed that impressive campaign with two successive bottom-half finishes, which ultimately sealed the Spaniard’s fate.
All of his other management positions were with second-tier sides, including stints at Wigan, Swansea, Chester, Walsall and Motherwell, to name a few. But it was the incredible job he did at both Swansea and Wigan that put him on the managerial map, turning him into a desirable commodity for the likes of Everton.
Martinez won’t be available until after the European Championships, which initially posed a major problem for Tottenham, who were keen on finding a quick replacement for Jose Mourinho.
Since then, though, they have changed their stance and are more willing to show patience. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that their top two candidates — Julian Nagelsmann and Erik ten Hag — rejected Spurs’ advances.
Overall Grade — B+
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.