Next Tottenham manager: Key target snubs Levy leaving one man clear favourite to succeed Stellini

Harry Watkinson 25 Apr 2023 11:51 AM

Key Tottenham managerial target Vincent Kompany has reportedly told his backroom staff at Burnley that he will be staying at Turf Moor for another season.

The former Manchester City defender has done a fine job with the Clarets this term, guiding them back into the Premier League after sealing promotion in just 39 matches.

The news comes as another major blow to Spurs, who have lost their manager, temporary manager and director of football all in the same season.

As reported by TEAMtalk, Tottenham have allegedly ‘held conversations’ with Kompany’s entourage recently. However, they obviously fell short of convincing him to ditch Burnley.

The Belgian coach only signed a four-to-five-year deal with the Lancashire club in June, with the long-term nature of the contract being one of the key factors for Kompany taking the job in the first place.

With that in mind, it would have been a surprise to see the manager ditch Burnley after guiding them back into the Premier League. Although, interest from both Tottenham and Chelsea must have been difficult to turn down.

Nevertheless, as reported by the Sun, Kompany has already informed his backroom team that he is going nowhere this summer.

Strong favourite emerges after Kompany snub

With Kompany now set to snub Tottenham, Levy will have to look elsewhere for a permanent successor to Antonio Conte – who left the club in March.

Conte’s former assistant Cristian Stellini was expected to take charge of Spurs until the end of the season, but, he was also relieved of his duties on Sunday after his team were thrashed 6-1 by Newcastle.

This leaves Spurs in fifth-place in the Premier League table – six points adrift from the top four.

Also, if Liverpool and Brighton win their games in hand, they could overtake Tottenham and potentially prevent them from qualifying for the Europa League or Europa Conference League.

This makes the need to appoint a new manager even more pressing. With Kompany now out of the picture, the big favourite to land the job is now former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

However, the 35-year-old is reportedly only willing to take on the job from the start of next season, meaning Spurs will have to make do with Ryan Mason as their latest temporary manager for now.

With Spurs not winning a major trophy since 2008, there is huge pressure on Levy to make the right appointment. In fact, many Tottenham supporters have put the blame on him for their lack of success in recent years.

So, it will be interesting to see if Levy does appoint Nagelsmann this summer. He doesn’t have much experience, but has been praised for being a ‘modern and exciting’ coach – so it would be quite a risky move from the club chairman.

Tottenham Hotspur Vincent Kompany Julian Nagelsmann