Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Next Tottenham manager: Spurs ‘immensely impressed’ by current Premier League boss as Conte replacement

Patrick Vieira greeting Roberto De Zerbi

Tottenham Hotspur are already planning for who their next manager could be if Antonio Conte leaves at the end of the season – and the solution could come from within the Premier League.

Conte’s contract will expire at the end of the season, but the Italian doesn’t seem to be overly convinced about extending his stay in north London. At times, it has felt like he has been working from a different page than some of the club’s other decision makers.

Therefore, it may be in everyone’s best interests to separate in the summer. That said, Conte’s departure would send Spurs back to the drawing board.

Appointing him in the first place was not exactly easy for Tottenham. They tried to appoint Conte in the summer of 2021, but he was one of many candidates to reject them at that point.

Spurs eventually, perhaps with some reluctance, settled for Nuno Espirito Santo. However, he only lasted a few months in the job before Tottenham managed to get Conte to change his mind.

The Italian tactician secured Champions League involvement for the club by the end of the 2021-22 season. This season, talk of his future has been a distraction. Yet Spurs are still on course for some form of European qualification.

Who oversees any such efforts next season remains to be seen. If Conte leaves, Tottenham will be back to square one.

However, an update from Football Insider has revealed they already have an idea of who they could replace Conte with.

According to the website, Tottenham officials are “immensely impressed” by Brighton boss and Conte’s compatriot, Roberto De Zerbi.

De Zerbi has kept Brighton on track since the departure of Graham Potter to Chelsea earlier in the season. Indeed, the Seagulls are just one place behind Tottenham in the current table and would overtake them by winning both of their games in hand.

Brighton have a slightly higher average of goals scored per game in the league this season than Tottenham. Furthermore, their defensive record is superior.

De Zerbi could take next step as next Tottenham manager

Roberto De Zerbi managing Shakhtar Donetsk

Therefore, De Zerbi could utilise his alternative style to Conte in order to ensure Spurs can make further progress themselves.

The 43-year-old is under contract at the Amex Stadium until 2026. Therefore, Tottenham won’t find it easy to prise him away from the South Coast.

But he is “firmly” on their radar, according to the report. They will no doubt be watching how Brighton do for the remainder of the season, not just because they are competing in similar territory in the table, but because they are monitoring De Zerbi too.

He has an increasingly positive reputation, having stepped up with practically every appointment in his managerial career so far.

For instance, he got his first experience of top-flight coaching with Benevento in the 2017-18 Serie A season. Although his side suffered relegation, he earned the Sassuolo job for the next campaign and beyond.

After his good work there, he moved to Shakhtar Donetsk for his first stint outside Italy, experiencing Champions League football in the process.

Then, he got the Brighton job to gain his first taste of the Premier League, which he has adapted well to. The next step in his development could be to step up to become the next Tottenham manager.

For now, though, his focus will be on trying to finish above them with Brighton this season.

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