The Tottenham manager hunt goes on despite setbacks aplenty
The rumour mill is whirring about what comes next for Tottenham Hotspur, with candidates whose ideologies and experiences differ wildly.
It feels like we’ve time-travelled back to the summer of 2021 when we oddly ended up with Nuno Espirito Santo after previously flirting with Antonio Conte.
Nuno was sacked just months into his disheartening reign, paving the way for Conte to take the helm.
While Conte delivered a top-four finish and enjoyed a largely successful opening stint, his stubborn, inflexible approach drained the life from players and supporters.
Conte did everyone a favour by highlighting board failures and calling out players’ attitudes, even if his delivery lacked diplomacy.
Managers like Conte and Jose Mourinho are appealing due to their experience and winning pedigree, but they come with their share of pitfalls.
Conducting themselves with a my-way-or-the-highway mantra, they don’t devote any time to promising young talent, and there isn’t much of a willingness to coach players into new positions or make do with the tools they’ve got.
Right now, Tottenham doesn’t have a clue where it’s going due to Daniel Levy’s decade-long new-stadium obsession.
The names of the next possible appointment are a crapshoot, from the established to promising to those many have never heard of.
As we enter the season’s final weekend, Ange Postecoglou suddenly pulled away as a favourite, although it’s believed he might not be joining either.
Is Postecoglou the new frontrunner because of his style and approach at Celtic, or is it because he and Scott Munn, our new Chief Football Officer, are good friends and belong to the same agency that represents Tottenham?
On multiple occasions, the Spurs’ board has proved that it can be haphazard with its decision-making, adding apprehension to the name that will eventually be pulled from the hat.
While the Greek-born manager has done an admirable job during his two years at Celtic, the 57-year-old doesn’t fit the idea of a young up-and-coming manager Spurs should be intent on.
Postecoglou is older than every manager we’ve been linked to and has a CV that doesn’t scream Premier League-ready.
Brendan Rodgers, another manager with ties to Celtic, is on the shortlist.
The Northern Irishman came close to winning the Premier League with Liverpool, utilizing his star players and paving the way for younger players to blossom.
His brand of football has its expressive and entertaining moments. He won the FA Cup with Leicester City in 2021 and guided them to a couple of impressive 5th-place finishes.
Like Mourinho and Conte, Rodgers has a two- or three-season shelf life. While the idea of Brendan Rodgers isn’t completely insufferable, Tottenham seemingly moved on from the idea of hiring him years ago.
Unfortunately, early negotiations with Julian Nagelsmann came crashing down. Nevertheless, he was the most promising name on the shortlist.
Even in the miraculous scenario that both parties reconvened discussions, Nagelsmann would come with a larger-than-life ego, a headstrong manager who doesn’t shy away from dictating proceedings. That, in many ways, is similar to how Conte and Mourinho conducted themselves. And we all know how those tenures ended.
The sentiment spouted by Levy about returning to developing talented youth sounds good in theory. However, we’ve heard empty promises too many times to feel confident about his recent rhetoric.
It’s becoming harder to buy into the talk and easier to disregard it as another ploy to ensure fans spend thousands on their season ticket renewals.
There aren’t many names Tottenham can flat-out say no to; such is the current tumult at the club. However, Levy cannot sign a manager who doesn’t instill a free-flowing, enterprising brand of football.
That would pour more kerosene on an already combustible fire. So let’s see which managers are linked in the coming weeks and whether Levy can convince any of them to at least take a seat at the negotiation table.