Spurs' top three candidates as they look to end their manager search
Postecoglou has Celtic believing again, Amorim ended Sporting Lisbon’s 19-year wait for a title and Enrique has proven he can conquer Europe… so who should Spurs go for as their next boss?
- Tottenham are still looking for their next manager after sacking Conte in March
- Ange Postecoglou, Ruben Amorim and Luis Enrique are all still on their wishlist
- Mail Sport assesses the three top candidates Tottenham are now considering
It took Tottenham 72 days to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo in June 2021 after sacking Jose Mourinho. Less than two years later they find themselves back where they started, watching the days pass by as they look for someone to replace Antonio Conte.
In fairness, the club’s caution is understandable given how disastrous Nuno’s tenure proved to be. The Portuguese manager lasted only four months before he was shown the door.
Ensuring they make the right appointment is vital after a dismal campaign that saw Spurs finish outside the European places, but let’s not pretend the last two months has been some sort of masterplan from Tottenham’s hierarchy. Their search for Conte’s successor has been disastrous so far.
Having placed Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini in charge until the end of the season, the club soon opted to sack him after their abysmal 6-1 defeat at Newcastle. Ryan Mason was then handed the reins, but he won just two of his six matches in charge.
All the while, Spurs have been looking for their next permanent manager in the background, without much luck. Vincent Kompany, Xabi Alonso and Arne Slot have all decided to remain at their current clubs, while ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann was not convinced by Tottenham’s project.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is still looking for Antonio Conte’s replacement as manager
Feyenoord boss Arne Slot is just one of a number of managerial targets to rule himself out of the running for the Tottenham job, frustrating the search for the north London club
Three more names have now emerged at the top of Tottenham’s wishlist – Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou, Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and the out-of-work Luis Enrique.
Mail Sport assesses all three potential candidates as Spurs look to finally bring their manager search to an end so they can start preparing for next season.
Ange Postecoglou
Postecoglou arrived at Celtic in 2021 to little fanfare having previously coached in Australia, Greece and Japan.
He was somewhat of an unknown quantity and there were serious doubts about whether he was the right man to get Celtic back on top in Scotland after they had finished 25 points behind Steven Gerrard’s Rangers the previous season.
Those doubts have proved unfounded.
Postecoglou led Celtic to a domestic double in his first season at the helm, and the Hoops have been even more dominant this time around.
Off the back of winning the Scottish League Cup, Celtic rounded off their league campaign with a 5-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday to finish on 99 points, and they have the chance to complete the Treble this weekend when they take on Inverness in the Scottish Cup final.
One of Postecoglou’s key strengths has been his bond with the fans.
Celtic supporters were disillusioned after their bitterly disappointing 2020-21 season under Neil Lennon and John Kennedy, but Postecoglou has got them firmly back on side.
Ange Postecoglou has been a huge success at Celtic during his two years at the club
Postecoglou has won the league twice and has been a major hit with the club’s fanbase
Celtic’s attacking brand of football since Postecoglou arrived has been a joy to watch, and the Australian is not afraid to dream big. Fans heaped praise on him for insisting expectations should not be lowered when Celtic faced Spanish giants Real Madrid in the Champions League last September.
Spurs fans have become accustomed to stale football and negative press conferences in recent years, but that is unlikely to be an issue if Postecoglou walks through the door.
He has also unearthed gems in the transfer market, with Japanese duo Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda both shining in Scotland. Postecoglou has proven he can get the best out of new signings, which was a problem for Conte before his departure in March.
Postecoglou has been adamant that Celtic remain his ‘priority’ and there is little reason to doubt him given what he has achieved over the past two years.
But if Spurs come calling in the coming days, Postecoglou may be tempted by the prospect of testing himself in the Premier League.
Ruben Amorim
Like Postecoglou, Amorim has never managed in England, instead opting to stay in his homeland of Portugal throughout his short coaching career to date.
But should that be a concern? Roberto De Zerbi had also never managed in the Premier League before this season and he has just guided Brighton into Europe for the first time in their history.
Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020 after a brief spell at Braga and was an instant hit in the Portuguese capital.
In his first full season in the dugout he helped his side win their first league title since 2002, ending 19 years of hurt.
Sporting have been unable to repeat that feat in the last two seasons, but Amorim’s team have still impressed in Europe.
They made the knockout stages of last season’s Champions League, progressing through a group that contained Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, while they beat Arsenal in this year’s Europa League.
Sporting Lisbon won the league for the first time in 19 years under Ruben Amorim in 2021
They haven’t won the league since, but Amorim remains one of Europe’s best young coaches
Amorim is still only 38, and is by some distance the youngest of the candidates heavily linked with the Spurs job at the moment.
But perhaps bringing in a young, vibrant manager is exactly what Tottenham need.
They have gone with experienced big-names like Mourinho and Conte over the past few seasons and it hasn’t worked.
Their last period of sustained success came under newly-appointed Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, when he was allowed to build a young team in his own image over a five-year period.
Enabling Amorim to start his own long-term project at Spurs could be a wise move by under-fire chairman Daniel Levy.
Luis Enrique
Enrique has been out of work since December after leaving his position as Spain manager following their disappointing World Cup showing in Qatar. But that shouldn’t detract from the fine work he has done at club level and on the international stage during his career on the touchline.
The 53-year-old is fondly remembered at the Nou Camp after his hugely successful three-year spell at Barcelona between 2014 and 2017.
During this period, the Catalan giants won LaLiga twice, the Copa del Rey three times and the Champions League to cap off a remarkable Treble in 2014-15.
Some may argue that Enrique had no chance of failing as he had Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar at his disposal, but it is not always easy to get a team of superstars to gel as a unit, as has been proven at PSG, with the French champions still waiting for their first Champions League triumph.
Luis Enrique has been out of work since being sacked by Spain after the World Cup in Qatar
Enrique also had some positive moments when in charge of Spain, leading them to the Euro 2020 semi-finals before they lost on penalties to eventual champions Italy, and then the final of the Nations League in 2021.
Enrique’s style of play is widely admired, as he demands his team dominate possession to create chances.
Tottenham’s approach to matches has been baffling at times this term, with no clear plan in place, and the side being heavily reliant on Harry Kane to produce moments of magic to get them out of trouble.
Enrique would want to build a team capable of easing the burden on Kane, if they can keep him, by controlling games much more with the ball.
Enrique has also been linked with replacing Luciano Spalletti (pictured) at Napoli next season
Tottenham’s chances of landing Enrique could be dented by Napoli’s interest in the Spaniard, as he has emerged as the favourite to replace Luciano Spalletti when he leaves at the end of the season.
Napoli can offer Enrique European football, and are on a high after winning their first Serie A title in 33 years.
But Enrique has managed in Italy before having coached Roma and perhaps he will fancy a new challenge in England.
If Tottenham are willing to offer him a substantial financial package and convince him about their plans moving forward, they could still beat Napoli to his signature.
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