On the 27th March, Antonio Conte became the third Tottenham Hotspur manager to be sacked by club Chairman Daniel Levy since 2019, after just 16 months in charge.
Levy is now the longest serving chairman of any Premier League club, however he does not give the same time, patience and backing to his managers, with Levy seeing 17 managers at the helm in his 22 year spell as chairman.
It now leaves the North London side in search of another permanent manager, their 4th in as many seasons. With Conte’s ex-assistant Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason in charge until the end of the season, there will be plenty of time for Levy to appoint a successor, and just maybe this one will last slightly longer.
With Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique seemingly focusing on battling each other for the Chelsea job in the summer, this article focuses on the other likely candidates for the Spurs hot seat.
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Brendan Rodgers, 50 years old.
Odds: 9/4
Rodgers is now out of work after leaving Leicester City on Sunday by mutual consent. The Midlands side had slipped into the bottom three and, with a failure by Rodgers to pick up results, the former Liverpool and Celtic boss was relieved of his duties.
Rodgers however may be in the running for the Spurs job. While the end of his tenure at Leicester turned sour the first three years were very positive, with the club finishing fifth twice and eighth once. In addition, Brendan guided Leicester to their first FA Cup trophy in 2021 as well as winning the Community Shield.
His biggest appointment so far has arguably been Liverpool, where he took the Merseyside club to the brink of their first league title in decades, winning the Manager of the Year award in the same season. However, with three games left and being five points clear, Liverpool would go on to lose to Chelsea at home and draw against Palace, giving up the title to Man City.
Rodgers style of football can largely be considered to be on the front foot, with a pressing and possession based nature. Steven Gerrard described how Rodger has an eye for detail as well as highlighting his excellent one on one coaching.
The Irishman, who has managed in every football season since 2006, when he was appointed by Championship side Watford, is still only 50 years old and he may just fancy himself to be Spurs’ next boss.
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Mauricio Pochettino, 51 years old.
Odds: 10/3
Pochettino would certainly be a fan favourite appointment and would also be one of the few men who could keep Tottenham’s record goalscorer, Harry Kane, at the club.
The Argentine’s last and only job since being relieved by Levy was at Paris Saint Germain, where he won his first pieces of silverware, winning the Ligue 1, Trophée des Champions and the French Cup. In addition, Pochettino took them to the Champions League semi-final, beating Bayern Munich and Barcelona along the way only to lose to Man City.
During his time in North London, Pochettino radically changed the fortunes of the club. He secured European football every season he was at the helm and most importantly helped to secure Champions League football between 2016 and 2020.
Pochettino came close on numerous occasions to ending Tottenham’s trophy drought with a League Cup Final in his first season, a Champions League final and two FA Cup semi-finals, as well as a title challenge against Leicester City.
When he left the club in November 2019, after a poor run in the Premier League, he described how he had ‘unfinished business’ at the club.
With Levy needing to repair his relationship with large sections of the fanbase, the Argentine may just be the man he should turn to.
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Arne Slot, 44 years old
Odds on: 9/1
Dutchman Arne Slot could be another popular appointment among some sections of the fanbase. Slot was largely unknown by many prior to the last few weeks, with him becoming more and more linked to the Spurs job.
Slot’s managerial career has not left the Netherland’s so far, managing AZ Alkmaar and currently Feyenoord.
Slot has revolutionised the way Feyenoord play, taking them from a club that was usually finishing in the top 6, to a side that now sits top of the Eredivisie and 8 points clear of Dutch giants Ajax.
Slot has also transformed Feyenoord’s playing style, choosing to play an attacking 4-3-3 system with high counter pressing as well as position fluidity - where by players adapt to their role on the field and may change their position throughout the game.
At Feyenoord, Slot has shown the ability to transform an average side into an impressive attacking machine. Slot’s system may also suit Son, giving him more breathing space on the left to do what he is so good at doing, as well as players like Bissouma, who was used to playing in a midfield three at Brighton.
It is important to note that Spurs would be unlikely to get Slot anytime before the summer, with the manager heavily invested in his role at the Dutch club as he seeks to win the league and take them all the way in the Europa League, where they will face Roma in the quarter finals, who were also their Europa Conference League final opponents last year.
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Vincent Kompany, 36 years old
Odds on: 9/1
Kompany’s Burnley side currently sit top of the Championship with 84 points, 11 more than second placed Sheffield United. Kompany is another manager who has shown his ability to change the playing style and mentality of a team.
Burnley have gone from the lowest average possession in the Premier League (39.1%) to the highest in the Championship (64.5%). While there are no doubts about the differences in quality between the two leagues, it is an impressive turnaround which the Belgian has led. Burnley are also the highest scoring team in the league, with 74 goals in 38 games.
There are question marks over whether Kompany would choose to leave Turf Moor due to it being only his second managerial job and first in England, however his progressive and possession based football would arguably win many plaudits in North London.
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Oliver Glasner, 48 years old
Odds on: 20/1
Glasner is another potential Spurs managerial candidate, who again plays high pressure and attacking football.
The Austrian manager utilises a 3-4-2-1 formation with wing backs, which may potentially compliment Tottenham’s squad, with Pedro Porro arriving for a large fee in January and Destiny Udogie set to join in the summer from Udinese.
Frankfurt currently sit 6th in the Bundesliga and were knocked out the Champions League this season by Napoli, losing 5-0 on aggregate,
While Glasner’s appointment may have looked more inspiring last year, when he won the Europa League with the German based side, I don’t imagine he would inspire much enthusiasm among the Spurs fans this summer if he was to get the job.
Levy will have a tough job in recruiting names as big as Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho this summer, with under investment in the squad, a failure to back multiple managers and the chairman’s desire for quick fixes rather than giving time and patience to a manager, all contributing to a job that doesn't look the most appealing.
This is especially true when the financial juggernauts of Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid may be in the market for a new coach in the summer.
As a result, Tottenham’s managerial search may be more of a question of ‘Who wants it?’ rather than ‘Who should we appoint?’.