Last night, Tottenham Hotspur failed to progress to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League after a goalless draw with AC Milan making it four consecutively years without them going past the last 16 stage.
The match summed up Tottenham’s struggles this season under manager Antonio Conte. They find themselves in fourth position on the Premier League table, but it is a position that is under threat as Liverpool (5th) and Newcastle (6th) are breathing down their neck.
In the final moments of the draw against AC Milan, Tottenham fans started singing former manager Mauricio Pochettino’s name to show their dissatisfaction with Conte’s work at the club, and the club hierarchy heard their songs of pain loud and clear.
News reaching the Soccer Scoop desk shows that club chairman Daniel Levy has instructed the club’s Managing Director of football Fabio Paratici to start compiling a list of managers from which Conte’s replacement may be picked.
It should be noted that Conte’s contract at Spurs expires on June 30, and given his results that are short of what is expected by his bosses, talks of an extension are all but dead. Conte was named Tottenham manager in 2021 to replace Nuno Espirito Santo who was sacked.
So who is expected to make the shortlist?
Luis Enrique
The top contender to be on the list is Spanish football manager Luis Enrique. Enrique’s time at Barcelona where he won the treble with the popular trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar Santos dubbed “MSN” between 2014 and 2017 catapulted him into the league of elite managers.
He guided Spain to the EURO 2020 semi-finals and the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar last year, after which he resigned from the position. It is understood that Paratici is a great admirer of Enrique’s work.
Oliver Glasner
Oliver Glasner has also been tipped to be in the run for the Tottenham Hotspur job should Conte be axed. He is currently the head coach for Eintracht Frankfurt for whom he won the Europa League last season, and are playing Napoli in the Champions League last 16 second leg next week.
Ruben Amorin
The Portuguese led Sporting Lisbon to their first Portuguese League title in 19 years in 2020/21 and the Portuguese Super Cup last season. He will be in the dugout tonight as his men battle with Arsenal in the Europa League Last 16 first leg.
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalleti is on the brink of delivering Napoli’s first Italian Serie A title in 33 years and it is understood that Paratici feels he could be the man to guide another team that is starved of major trophies for decades- Tottenham. Spalletti’s attacking and free-flowing football has made Napoli runaway Serie A leaders and are in pole position to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Mauricio Pochettino
Arguably the most successful manager at Tottenham in recent years, Pochettino led Spurs to their first-ever Champions League final in 2019 and although they lost it to Liverpool and was fired in the season that followed, he remains a fan favourite. The Argentine name was sung last night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the club crashed out of the competition. It remains to be seen if he can make a dramatic return to the club after Conte’s exit.
It is no guarantee that the managers on this shortlist will be appointed to replace Conte as all but Pochettino and Enrique are still employed, but they make a strong case. Levy wants the process to be expedited as early as possible to ensure a smooth transition.
