Another day, another defeat for Tottenham, who went down 2-1 Aston Villa on Saturday, but those are expected after the team moves to their third manager of the season. It’s critical they make the right decision about their next manager but one thing the club knows is whoever patrols the touchline comes next year it won’t Julian Nagelsmann. After being sacked from Bayern Munich, Nagelsmann was one of the top picks in Tottenham’s search for managers due to his ability to build a team and his tactical knowledge. But since Friday the club no longer pursues him.
Someone of the Nagelsmann type is what the club needs as the summer should include a breakdown of the team’s base to perform a hard reset. After adding Scott Munn to the City Football Group front office to oversee the sporting director and head coach, chairman Daniel Levy appears to be relinquishing control of front office decisions. On the other hand, he seemed to do the same a few years ago, but in the end Fabio Paratici had to resign from the role of director after he appealed for a ban on football activities for his role in Juventusimproper financial transactions.
Frankly, it’s a mess that Nagelsmann shouldn’t risk wading into unless all variables work out in his favor, but given the visibility and potential of the role, it’s one that should be of interest to quite a few people are. administrators in the world. Previous manager Maurice Pochettino is off the market after reportedly agreeing to terms Chelsea to take over. Robert Dezerbi is someone linked, but like Nagelsmann, there’s little point in leaving Brighton for anything other than a top job. But if they can’t lead the club into the future, who can?
Ryan Mason
It’s time for Spurs to think outside the box. Mason hasn’t been great as an interim manager, but he was also dealt an impossible hand as second choice for a temporary job. Someone the players can connect with and motivate them, if Mason gets the job and is helped by a number two who can help him grow tactically, it could be a move that helps Spurs get back to their ethos. Mason is Tottenham Hotspur through and through, a former academy graduate and player whose career was entirely with Spurs until a stretch at the end of 2016-2018. And when a head injury forced him into early retirement, he immediately returned to Spurs as a coach.
At its best, Tottenham was a club leaning on the academy and developing young talent. While Oliver Skip time with the first team, that academy trajectory has dried up in recent years, leaving the club playing as a group of individuals and not a team. Some of this isn’t just for academy players, as a team can lose connection after five managers in less than four years. Taking time with a young manager would show the Spurs acknowledging they are not close to the competition at the moment as they face a transition phase.
Arne Slot
Another manager associated with the role is Feyenoord manager Slot. Slot would oversee a team that likes to play on the forefoot and control the game by attacking. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That’s something that has been lost lately during the reign of defensive managers. The team needs an identity and that’s something Slot can instill if given the time, while also improving players across the club.
It would take a lineup rebuild before the players would adjust to Slot’s way of passing, but it would be necessary either way. It would also be a boon for the club to bring a manager with qualifications after leading Feyenoord to the final of the Europa Conference League and top of the Eredivisie to overtake Ajax. It would take some getting used to life in the Eredivisie, but Erik ten Hag, who switched from Ajax last season Manchester United this year has shown the blueprint that Slot could follow. Emulation can be the best way to succeed and Tottenham need to get in line with what the more successful clubs in the Premier League are doing.
Xabi Alonso
Like Slot, Alonso is someone who oversees an attacking side Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. But there would be a few hurdles to bring him to the club. Not only could his current club qualify for Europe this summer, while Tottenham will not have European football, but he could also be affected by what happens to Carlo Ancelotti at RealMadrid as he could be one of the best candidates to move to the club given his history starring in midfield for the club, although Madrid have recently suggested they can keep their manager until next year, even if they are eliminated from the Champions League.
With only a limited proven track record in top-flight football, he is a risk-taking manager, but as Alonso has shown in Germany, he has got the hang of things quickly. Alonso also has the credentials as a former player to gain respect from day one at work.
Louis Enrique
Although Luis Enrique was involved in Chelsea’s quest for coaching, he ultimately failed to join the club, which could provide Spurs with an opportunity. Luis Enrique is one of the most qualified coaches out there, winning a treble Barcelona while managing the superstar offensive trio of Neymar, Lionel Messi And Luis Suarez before a period focused on developing a new generation of talent with Spain. A winner capable of multiple tactics under Luis Enrique, the Spurs would know what to do in possession. Like Nagelsmann, plenty of promises would need to be made to entice Luis bEnrique, but the club wouldn’t do their due diligence in this coaching quest without at least talking to him about the role.
His vertical passing style may suit where the team wants to go, but it comes down to whether a deal can be made.
Search elsewhere?
With names like Vincent Kompany also linked before signing a new contract Burnley, it seems that the club is looking in the right direction for the next manager. But for things to work, that manager also needs to have a good relationship with the sporting director who has yet to be hired. If Munn and Levy can make those decisions the club can quickly turn some of these issues around, but going for more stop gap solutions will only set things back further than they already were. The only way to remove “Spursy” from the vocabulary of many is to win, but the club cannot win without staying aligned.