Tottenham manager candidate in negotiations with Italian club

Luis Enrique, one of the managers in Daniel Levy’s crosshairs to take over at Tottenham, is in the midst of negotiations with Napoli, Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna reports. 

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as it won’t take such a highly touted manager long to find a new home.

Napoli’s Serie A winning manager, Luciano Spalletti, decided to part ways with the club earlier this week, saying he wants a year off to ponder his future.

Napoli isn’t wasting any time with their pursuit of Enrique, whose possession-style brand of football also appeals to Levy and Tottenham’s top brass.

Tottenham has reportedly reached out to Enrique, though any discussions were of a superficial, introductory manner.

Enrique, who won the treble with Barcelona in 2014-15, has the most impressive CV of Tottenham’s candidates. He is also highly regarded for how his teams dominate possession in the final third.

That being said, it’s comparatively easier to instil those values on Barcelona and Spain, historic possession-based sides.

The task at Tottenham would be altogether more difficult, especially considering the Lilywhites haven’t employed a possession-based style of football since Mauricio Pochettino departed.

Enrique is one of at least six managers Tottenham is pursuing. If Napoli fails to convince Enrique to join, Tottenham will most likely be waiting in the wings for another chance at the 53-year-old.

Enrique is reportedly keenly interested in coaching a Premier League team. However, Tottenham’s project is chockfull of immense challenges, which might deter a manager whose previous roles were far less complicated.

While Enrique is undoubtedly a solid candidate, he was criticized for Spain’s lack of cutting edge at the World Cup in Qatar.

Despite having some of the best possession numbers in the tournament, Spain struggled to muster quality scoring chances, eventually leading to their exit.

Napoli will want to expedite negotiations and try to convince Enrique to sign on the dotted line within the next week, so we’ll soon know whether we can officially cross yet another name off our dwindling list.