Tottenham manager search takes new twist involving Hojbjerg agent

Roberto Martinez has emerged as a candidate to replace Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur, according to reports.

Mourinho was dismissed as Tottenham boss on Monday following their downturn in form. The prospect of a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City was not enough to keep him in the job. Instead, Ryan Mason will guide the team out at Wembley as interim head coach.

Mason led Spurs to a comeback victory against Southampton in his first match in charge. When his reign comes to an end at the end of the season, the club will no doubt look for a more high-profile successor to Mourinho.

There have already been links with a number of targets. The first two suggestions to emerge were RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann and Leicester coach Brendan Rodgers.

The shortlist has widened since then, though. There were rumours of contact with former Chelsea tactician Maurizio Sarri.

More recently, Athletic Bilbao boss Marcelino addressed interest from Tottenham, insisting he was happy in the Basque Country.

Hence, Spurs may need to think about alternatives. One man who could be in contention, according to Sport/Foot Magazine, is Martinez.

The former Swansea, Wigan and Everton manager has been in charge of Belgium since 2016. He led them to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.

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But the upcoming Euro 2020 could be his last tournament as Belgium boss. Martinez wants to get back into club management and Tottenham could be the ideal opportunity.

Agent Pini Zahavi already has close contacts with Daniel Levy. He helped Spurs sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer and was also behind Mourinho’s appointment in 2019.

Therefore, there is a good chance that Zahavi could push Martinez towards Tottenham in the summer.

Of course, Levy will be weighing up all his options and thinking carefully before committing to their next coach.

Southgate also mentioned as a contender

Martinez is not the only manager currently working in international football to be linked with the Tottenham role.

The Guardian recently claimed that England boss Gareth Southgate was another option to take charge. His existing relationship with Harry Kane could prove beneficial.

Appointing Southgate thus may play a role in convincing Kane to stay. But England still have their manager under contract until 2022.

Even so, he would apparently be open to a return to club football. His last similar job was with Middlesbrough, whom he left in 2009.

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