Ex-Tottenham midfielder Tim Sherwood was informed several days ago that the club will no longer require his managerial services after the end of this season, in news that comes as no surprise given recent results at the North London club.
Sherwood was promoted from within after the sacking of Portuguese manager Andre Villas-Boas towards the end of 2013, with Tottenham sitting five points off of fourth placed Manchester City, whilst sat in seventh themselves. Poor league results, coupled with an early exit from the Capital One Cup, led to the decision to replace Villas-Boas. The appointment was not met with great support by the Tottenham faithful, with many believing that not only hiring a manager with no previous experience, let alone the decision to hand Sherwood a deal that lasted until the end of next season, was poor judgement from Levy.
Tottenham fans were soon in for a shock, with Sherwood’s first 11 games in charge in the Premier League culminating in 8 wins, two draws and a single defeat. The string of results included a 2-1 win at Old Trafford against last season’s champions Manchester United, as well as comprehensive victories over Newcastle and Swansea.
Recent results have seen Sherwood and the Tottenham players come under increased scrutiny from their fans and journalists, with heavy defeats away to Chelsea and Liverpool, topped by another European cup exit and a third defeat of the season against fierce rivals Arsenal seeing Spurs fall further away from a top four place, which Sherwood admitted was ‘out of their reach’ after the Chelsea defeat.
Sherwood’s outspoken attitude has also irked the Tottenham fans, causing unrest within the club. The public slating of the team after the 4-0 defeat to Chelsea, where he labelled his players as ‘lacking character’ after falling apart in the second half. His outburst toward Paulinho and team selection was also another decision that disgruntled Spurs fans, with many believing that the Brazilian deserves a place in the team week in, week out.
Sherwood’s managerial stats (so far):
Games: 23
Wins: 11
Draws: 3
Defeats: 9
With Sherwood’s short-lived reign coming to its inevitable end, who are the leading candidates to take over?
1. Louis Van Gaal (Netherlands manager)
Current Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal has been the leading candidate for the job since the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, and amid newspaper reports of a deal being in place, he has been set at the odds-on favourite to take over. Van Gaal has achieved high levels of managerial success, taking charge of some of the world’s greatest teams along the way. Van Gaal has won various league and cup titles all across Europe, with a double La Liga title win with Barcelona in the late 90’s and success with AZ Alkmaar being his greatest achievements. With a total win percentage of 61% throughout his managerial career, he easily surpasses any of those set by ex-Tottenham managers.
2. Mauricio Pochettino (Southampton manager)
Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino is second on the shortlist for Tottenham, with his ‘overachievement’ with Southampton being the main spark of interest. A relatively unknown manager when he took charge, Pochettino has taken the Premier League by storm, steering Southampton away from relegation in their first season back in the top division for close to 10 years. This season, his first full season, saw the Saints making an early push for Europe, as well as being able to boast the best defensive record in Europe in the early months. The form of Englishmen Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez has been pivotal to Southampton’s league run, with a top-half finish almost definitely secured.
3. Rafael Benitez (Napoli manager)
Rafael Benitez is a name that is all too familiar with the Premier League, down to his continental successes with Liverpool, and more recently, his troubled spell as Chelsea manager. Signing on with Napoli this season, Benitez has guided his side to a stable third place position in the domestic league, whilst guiding them to a Coppa Italia final, only to be left disappointed in the European competitions. A group stage exit from the Champions League, twinned with an early exit from the Europa League rebound is the only fault in what has been a successful first season for Benitez.
All three managers are of a fantastic calibre, and are known across the globe for their talents. Now, Daniel Levy has a big choice to make in who will hold the key to the future of Tottenham Hotspur.