Tottenham Hotspur have drawn up their shortlist to appoint their next manager and are expected to push forward to talk to their preferred candidates, football London understands.
The north London club relieved Jose Mourinho of his duties as head coach last month and placed Ryan Mason in charge on an interim basis until the end of the season.
That decision was made to give Tottenham more time to look at the options available to them to select their next manager and then to begin talks with preferred candidates.
While the age of the next Spurs boss is not believed to be important, the brief for their ideal next manager is that the newcomer must be progressive, attack-minded, favouring possession-based football and most importantly fit into the club’s culture, which includes using the cutting edge techniques implemented during Mauricio Pochettino’s reign.
Football London understands that having initially drawn up a long list of managers they were considering and fitted either their profile or financial situation, the club has now worked that down to a shortlist and will push forward to hold talks with the top candidates.
Spurs are keeping their cards close to their chest in their managerial hunt and that is reflected in the constantly changing ‘favourites’ linked to the club by the betting companies.
Some of those touted in the latest odds, such as Italian quintet Simone Inzaghi, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Gian Piero Gasperini and Massimiliano Allegri, are not believed to be among those in consideration for the Spurs job.
Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is certainly someone who has admirers at Tottenham, and has done for a long time, but whether he would want to leave the Foxes, particularly if they qualify for Champions League football, remains to be seen.
It is understood that a number of the Tottenham players have been repeatedly impressed by Graham Potter’s Brighton side when they have come up against them and would be open to the 45-year-old being pursued by the club.
His style of play has fans within Hotspur Way and he fits the club’s profile for their next manager, although there is a gamble associated with any manager stepping up from a team in the Premier League’s lower reaches to a club that contested the Champions League final just two years ago.
Both Rodgers and Potter have reiterated their commitment in recent weeks to their projects at Leicester and Brighton respectively.
Ajax boss Erik ten Hag was under consideration by Spurs only for Ajax to extend his contract by a year. While that would simply make his appointment more expensive for Tottenham, his comments after the extension was agreed suggested he is not going anywhere this summer.
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez also has his admirers at Tottenham for his style of play, although his last club job – at Everton – was not a success.
The club have been keeping close tabs on former U18s manager Scott Parker after he left the club to manage Fulham.
The 40-year-old was caretaker boss for the final months of the 2018/19 season as the Cottagers were relegated before getting the job permanently and leading them to promotion back to the Premier League in the next campaign.
However, Monday evening’s crucial match against Burnley at Craven Cottage will see Fulham all but relegated again if they fail to beat the Clarets, who sit just above the drop zone.
Pochettino’s future at PSG is looking uncertain in the wake of their Champions League exit in the semi-finals and they need Lille to slip up in their remaining two matches if they are to hold any hope of winning the Ligue 1 title.
However, there is not believed to have been any contact at this stage from either side about a potential return to Spurs for Pochettino, less than two years after he was relieved of his duties by chairman Daniel Levy following almost six years at the club.
With the club keeping their cards close to their chest and so much noise among foreign media outlets and in the betting odds as agents push their managers forward, some names on the club’s shortlist will remain unknown until the final stages and that’s exactly how Tottenham will want it.
(Football London)
