Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Next Tottenham manager: Two sources claim Spurs could appoint esteemed coach only employed by one club before

Maurizio Pochettino Zinedine Zidane Man Utd 2022 TEAMtalk1

The search for the next Tottenham manager is continuing after the departure of Antonio Conte, and two reports in his homeland have named a successful coach who could replace him.

Conte left Tottenham by mutual consent on March 26. It came after his outbursts against the club after his final match in charge, a draw with relegation candidates Southampton. For the time being, his assistant Cristian Stellini will be overseeing Spurs’ upcoming commitments.

But the hunt is well underway for a permanent successor to Conte. Tottenham can only hope it goes more smoothly than when they wanted to replace Jose Mourinho two years ago.

To avoid a repeat of the 2021 debacle that saw them approach several candidates before having to settle for one they originally rejected (Nuno Espirito Santo), only to sack him four months later and get Conte in, Tottenham are drafting up a substantial shortlist of potential managers.

One of the favourites for the role is Mauricio Pochettino, who previously did well with the club between 2014 and 2019. Alternatively, Tottenham have also been linked with Julian Nagelsmann after his sacking by Bayern Munich.

A report from Sky Sport Italia has listed both of them as contenders to replace Conte, as well as Luis Enrique. A fourth candidate has also emerged, though, in the shape of Zinedine Zidane.

The 50-year-old has been away from coaching since his second departure from Real Madrid in 2021. Across two spells in charge of Los Blancos, Zidane won 11 trophies. Famously, that included three consecutive Champions League crowns in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Hence, he has a good reputation, but whether he can succeed in management outside his former club could be up for question. Indeed, he has never managed a club outside the Real setup.

Tottenham might be the ones to change that if they can convince him to come to the Premier League for the first time. The claims from Sky Sport Italia have followed similar suggestions by La Repubblica, another Italian source.

Could Zidane become next Tottenham manager?

Only time will tell if links with Zidane can be verified by any outlets closer to Tottenham. There isn’t much detail yet about whether he would want the job.

Zidane has been patient to find his next job after leaving Real Madrid in May 2021. Whether he would be intrigued by the Tottenham project remains to be seen.

Perhaps Pochettino or Nagelsmann might be likelier candidates for the job as things stand. However, Spurs will simply have to keep their options open after how managerial searches have sometimes gone for them before.

And while a Champions League winner like Zidane remains unattached, it is only natural that he will be linked with vacancies like these.

When the time comes for him to step back into management, it will be very intriguing to see how he fares away from Madrid.

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