Julian Nagelsmann was the clear favourite for the Spurs job but then Chelsea sacked Graham Potter and he looks very much Blues-bound. Thankfully for Spurs, sacked Premier League managers are now on the market.
1) Brendan Rodgers
Straight in at second favourite on the day he got mutualled by Leicester and then promoted to first favourite when Chelsea sacked Graham Potter and targeted the man below him on this list.
His last win as Leicester boss was actually a 4-1 dismantling of Spurs, which is funny if probably irrelevant. Pros: might bring James Maddison with him. Cons: is Brendan Rodgers.
On the list of ‘Potential Spurs managers who are suddenly available’, Rodgers certainly feels a lot more plausible than Nagelsmann.
2) Julian Nagelsmann
‘This feels like a very obvious point to make but…surely Julian Nagelsmann isn’t actually going to be Tottenham manager, is he?’ is what we wrote earlier this week.
Is he f***. We knew he could do better. We just didn’t know it was going to be that obvious that quickly.
3) Mauricio Pochettino
The popular choice and theoretically one that could have been concluded without fuss and thus avoid the need for a Stellini interregnum.
All indications are, though, that while Pochettino remains entirely open to the idea of a return to a club where he has obvious unfinished business, he always wanted to wait until the summer before making any decision on his next move. The fact he has had only that one brief stint at PSG since leaving Spurs in 2019 shows that he certainly has the gift of patience when choosing his jobs.
Reappointing Poch does feel like something that both club and manager need to happen before either of them can properly move on, even if it may well end badly. And for Daniel Levy, it presents the easiest of easy wins with the fans even if it does require the consumption of some humble pie.
4) Arne Slot
With Erik ten Hag providing proof of concept that bald Dutchmen can be mighty effective Premier League managers, Spurs are reportedly considering the man currently making waves at Feyenoord. His team are eight points clear at the top of the Eredivisie, haven’t lost a game since October, beat Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 in the Europa and won 3-2 at Ajax just before the international break. Leeds were very interested, but Spurs might be more tempting in the summer.
5) Graham Potter
Initially high on this market but even Tottenham would not immediately appoint a failed Chelsea manager, and it already looks like he might find a more permanent, less stressful home at Leicester.
6) Vincent Kompany
Backed in from 20/1 to 6/1 which could mean everything or nothing, but no great surprise to see a former Premier League player of Kompany’s renown catching the eye with his work at Burnley. Former City team-mate Yaya Toure is already on the Spurs coaching staff in the academy suggesting there may be a brilliant if bonkers strategy of reuniting that entire brilliant City team at Spurs on the coaching staff. We don’t fully understand the plan, but we know we’re on board with all our heart.
7) Ruben Amorim
Yet another option who is also on the Chelsea list. This one – the Sporting Lisbon boss who ousted Arsenal from the Europa League – at least is a little more appealing than the last time they ended up with the men eighth or nine on their list in Nuno Espirito Santo.
8) Cristian Stellini
Of course there is always the possibility that Conte’s right-hand man turns out to be an absolutely brilliant caretaker manager.
9) Thomas Frank
Along with Roberto De Zerbi the most Pochettinoish option in the current Premier League but while his team is an admirable one there is just a sense that scaling up to Spurs might prove tougher for Frank than it would for De Zerbi. We might be wrong. It happens a lot.
10) Marco Siva
Doing a magnificent job at Fulham in their first season back in the big time. A very Spurs option, which in this instance may not be a bad thing.