Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Next Tottenham manager: Daniel Levy sets sights on brilliant title-winning international coach as Conte replacement
Another top manager has appeared on Tottenham’s shortlist of potential replacements for Antonio Conte, with club chairman Daniel Levy reportedly considering an international boss who has won league titles in previous roles.
Conte was let go on Sunday, eight days after his extraordinary outburst in the aftermath of Tottenham’s 3-3 draw with Southampton. In his post-match press conference, the Italian slammed both his players and the club hierarchy, saying they would never win anything unless some major changes happened.
According to The Athletic’s Tottenham reporter Jack Pitt-Brooke, it took the north London side more time to decide on Conte’s exit as they had plenty of money still to pay on his contract. In the end though, Levy pulled the trigger and is now looking for a fourth new head coach in the four years since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked.
Julian Nagelsmann is one option after he was released by Bayern Munich. Although, he is still technically on Bayern’s books until he finds a new club, so Spurs would have to pay the reigning Bundesliga champions big money to land the managerial prodigy.
Zinedine Zidane has been linked with the vacant hot seat. However, it would take some serious convincing to get him to join. It is thought that he would rather take over at Paris Saint-Germain or the French national team.
According to recent reports, Spurs have made contact with Wolfsburg’s Niko Kovac, who was previously Bayern’s boss. However, he immediately rejected Spurs’ advances.
READ MORE: Tottenham strike Man City agreement with first summer signing on the board
There is a strong possibility Pochettino could return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He has a good relationship with both Levy and the club’s fans.
As per Italian source La Repubblica, though, Levy could go in a completely different direction and capture Roberto Mancini instead.
Tottenham ready to pounce as manager ponders exit
Mancini guided Italy to Euros glory in 2021 as they beat England in the final at Wembley after a dramatic penalty shoot-out.
However, Mancini then came under pressure as Italy boss when his team failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup.
The 58-year-old remains in charge of the Azzurri, but that could soon change. Despite beating Malta 2-0 on Sunday, Mancini hit out at his players and said they ‘could have done everything better’. He also complained about a lack of options in attack.
There is now a real possibility Mancini could be sacked or leave the role. And this would allow Spurs to pounce. Levy is looking at Mancini to fill the managerial vacancy, while Paris Saint-Germain are also monitoring the situation. PSG boss Christophe Galtier has been under pressure ever since their Champions League exit to Bayern.
In a surprising turn of events, Conte and Mancini could actually end up going in opposite directions. While Mancini is being eyed by Spurs, Conte is a target for the Italian FA to replace him.
Mancini could be a very good appointment for Spurs. He has won major trophies with Italy, Manchester City and Inter Milan, including the Premier League crown during his time at the Etihad.
However, there is reason to suggest that Spurs should snub Mancini and actually go for more of an up-and-coming coach like Thomas Frank or Roberto de Zerbi.
When Spurs have had big-name managers on their books, such as Conte and Jose Mourinho, it has not gone well. But under a rising boss – such as Pochettino in the past – they are viewed as underdogs and can therefore rise up the Prem table with less pressure.
Meanwhile, Spurs and Liverpool are among four teams who have strong interest in a Brighton star, TEAMtalk understands.