Fabio Paratici primes perfect Postecoglou replacement as new name emerges on Tottenham radar

Former Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici is reportedly pushing for a current Serie A coach to take over from Ange Postecoglou, if Daniel Levy does decide to pull the trigger on the Australian’s time in north London.

The pressure is piling on Postecoglou after Spurs crashed out of two cup competitions in the space of just four days, while they continue to sit just 10 points above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

At this stage, it appears that only the club’s strong position in the Europa League, where they’ve already booked a knockout round spot, and the fact that key players could return from injury soon is keeping Postecoglou in a job.

However, another home defeat to a Manchester United side also struggling and just above them in the table on Sunday could end up being the final straw for the former Celtic boss.

As we’ve stated previously, the Tottenham board have plenty of sympathy for Postecoglou, given the unparalleled injury crisis at the club this term, and are desperate for him to turn things around.

That being said, they are also doing their due diligence on potential replacements and TT understands that Andoni Iraoli, Thomas Frank, Edin Terzic, Kieran McKenna are all in contention for the role – although a return for Mauricio Pochettino is less likely.

However, a new name has now entered the frame, with Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi also on their radar.

According to Inter Live, Paratici, who still has influence at Spurs, is pushing Inzaghi for the role – with the 48-year-old having established himself as one of Europe’s top coaches while at the San Siro.

The Italian tactician has led Inter to a Serie A title and also guided them to the Champions League final, proving his ability to compete at the elite level.

The report adds that Tottenham are believed to be prepared to offer Inzaghi a lucrative deal to try and lure him to north London. Additionally, he will then be heavily backed in the summer transfer window.

There is no mention of what sort of compensation Spurs would have to pay, but the fact that Inzaghi is under contract until 2027 means he will not come cheap.

Latest Tottenham news: Fans react to Romero new contract claims / Moore backed after harsh treatment

Tottenham fans have not reacted positively to the news that the club are ready to make Cristian Romero their top earner in order to fend off growing interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The central defender has experienced just one season of Champions League football during his three-and-a-half years in north London but has also had his fair share of injury issues in that time.

Romero has been sidelined since early December with a thigh injury and, although he has been spotted back in Tottenham training, it appears that he is no closer to returning to action.

Despite that, TBR Football reports that Spurs are ready to make the 26-year-old their highest-paid player in a bid to keep him out of Real’s clutches.

Meanwhile, pundits appear to have criticised Ange Postecoglou over his handling of exciting Tottenham attacking talent Mikey Moore in recent outings after reacting to the FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa.

How low can they go? Tottenham when they sacked recent managers

By TEAMtalk’s Samuel Bannister.

Postecoglou currently has Tottenham sitting 14th in the Premier League table, which is significantly lower than they would expect to be. But how far down the table have they been when sacking other managers in their recent history?

Antonio Conte: 4th

Despite some early optimism, Conte never seemed the right fit for Tottenham when they were hoping for a progressive future. A mutual agreement was reached in March 2023 for the Italian tactician to step down after what had been an emotional season on and off the field for him.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said the club had “a fight on [their] hands” to qualify for the Champions League, but they were actually in fourth place at the time of Conte’s exit.

Chaos was to come, though, with Spurs next sacking their acting head coach Cristian Stellini and placing Ryan Mason back in caretaker charge as they sank to an eighth-placed finish.

Nuno Espirito Santo: 9th

The search for a new permanent manager ahead of the 2021-22 season was a nightmarish one for Tottenham, who were turned down by several of their preferred candidates before deciding to go for ex-Wolves boss Nuno – someone they had originally ruled out of the running.

Nuno won the Premier League Manager of the Month award in August 2021, but Spurs’ form spiralled and he lasted only until the start of November before he was ousted for Conte.

Tottenham were ninth at the time of the switch, but Conte steered them back up to fourth by the end of the season.

To add insult to injury, Nuno is now working wonders back in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest – a club who weren’t even in the top flight in the season when he was in charge of Spurs.

Jose Mourinho: 7th

Mourinho has always made a big deal of the fact he was sacked by Spurs on the verge of a cup final, but it must have been their league form weighing on the club’s decision makers when they got rid of him in April 2021.

Tottenham were seventh in the table at the time – and that’s where they would finish as well, under the stewardship of caretaker boss Ryan Mason.

Mason’s first game in charge was the Carabao Cup final Mourinho had been looking forward to, which Tottenham lost to Manchester City to prolong their extended wait for silverware.

Mauricio Pochettino: 14th

The only manager to ever get Tottenham to a Champions League final, Pochettino had some credit in the bank for how he had inspired a resurgence in north London over his five-year reign. But it wasn’t enough to spare him from the sack when Tottenham found themselves languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League by November 2019.

“We were extremely reluctant to make this change. It is not a decision the board has taken lightly, nor in haste,” Levy said at the time.  “Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.

“It falls on the board to make the difficult decisions – this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff – but we do so in the club’s best interests.”

Replacement Mourinho ultimately led Tottenham to sixth in the final standings that season.