Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Next Tottenham boss: Insider explains why Daniel Levy will ‘definitely’ miss out on ultimate Conte successor

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy in the stands ahead of the Premier League match at St Mary's Stadium, Southampton

A World Cup winner has explained why Tottenham Hotspur will ‘definitely’ not be able to land one of his world-class coaching compatriots as Antonio Conte’s replacement.

Conte left Tottenham by mutual consent on March 26. His contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had been due to expire in the summer anyway, but club chiefs had to act after his explosive outburst following the 3-3 draw with Southampton. Conte had labelled his players ‘selfish’ and said the club would not win anything unless there were major changes to the way it is run.

Spurs have put Conte’s number two Cristian Stellini in charge on a temporary basis while they search for the right head coach to take the club forward.

Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann are two managers who could take over. Pochettino still lives in England from his first spell at Spurs, while he also has a great relationship with chairman Daniel Levy.

Nagelsmann became a target for Spurs after his sacking by Bayern Munich. It is thought that the 35-year-old does not want to return to the dugout until the end of the campaign.

Due to this, Spurs look set to battle Chelsea for his services this summer.

READ MORE: Arsenal legend tells Tottenham one simple change that’ll make them title contenders

There have been tentative links between Spurs and Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in June 2021.

Zidane would quite simply be an incredible appointment for Spurs. He enjoyed a stunning first spell at Real between 2016 and 2018, guiding the Spanish giants to three consecutive Champions League trophies. They also won two La Liga titles and two FIFA Club World Cups in that time.

Spurs will struggle to snare La Liga legend as next boss

Zidane’s second spell in charge of Real was not as successful. He opted to leave in May 2021 after failing to win a trophy during the 2020-21 campaign. Despite this, his stock remains very high.

Various sources claim the former Ballon d’Or winner is waiting for the France national team job. But with Didier Deschamps’ contract running until 2026, there have been rumours he could manage a club first. And Spurs have been named as one potential destination.

Unfortunately for Levy, Zidane’s former France team-mate Emmanuel Petit insists he will not manage in the Premier League for one crucial reason.

“Zidane, he won’t come. Definitely. Do you know why? Because he doesn’t speak English,” Petit said during an interview with Stadium Astro.

“That’s the truth – because I have known Zidane for ages and the way he manages players, he’s very close, he always talks to his players.

“So he wants the communication to be a priority. Very important for him, he doesn’t want someone to translate everything he has to say publicly.”

It looks like Spurs, or any other Prem side for that matter, will have no luck in convincing Zidane to join them.

However, once Zidane eventually fulfils his dream of managing France, he could end up giving the Prem a go. If rumours emerge about him learning English, then Prem clubs will likely scramble to win the race for him.

Meanwhile, Tottenham and Arsenal have been given renewed hope they can sign a top European forward this summer.