MY ACCOUNT
Antonio Conte has shown no desire to extend his stay at Tottenham.
The experienced coach could return to his native Italy within the next few months after enduring a tough year in North London both on and off the pitch.
Conte had to undergo gallbladder surgery recently and was absent from the Spurs dugout, leaving his assistant Cristian Stellini in charge for the games against Manchester City, West Ham, Chelsea and Sheffield United.
Furthermore, he has suffered personal loss during the 2022-23 campaign with the deaths of Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli — three close friends of the former Chelsea boss.
Despite this, the 53-year-old has continued to fulfil his duties but pressure has mounted following Spurs’ exit from the Champions League and FA Cup within the space of a week.
Failure to secure a top-four spot would likely see Conte move on to pastures new in the summer and there are plenty of potential replacements waiting in the wings.
We take a look at five contenders who could pick up the mantle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Luis Enrique
Reports suggest that former Spain head coach Luis Enrique would be open to managing the eight-time FA Cup winners and his football would bring a wave of excitement to the capital.
Known for his high possession, tiki-taka style of play, the 52-year-old would likely require a squad overhaul to implement his eye-catching methods.
A shift away from Conte’s 3-4-3 would be probable, as the former Barcelona manager prefers a 4-3-3 in order to promote more fluidity in the final third of the pitch.
Enrique is out of work following his resignation from the Spanish national side after crashing out of last year’s winter World Cup to Morocco.
A return to the club scene seems to appeal for what would surely be a smart appointment by Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici.
Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino remains a beloved figure in N17 and currently resides in London after leaving Paris Saint-Germain back in the summer of 2022.
The Argentine seems the obvious appointment for many pundits and Teddy Sheringham is just one Spurs legend who would love to see him return.
Speaking exclusively to LiveScore, he said: “I’d like to see Pochettino come back. I think the way he wants his teams to play football is ideal.
“They do say never go back, but they’ve tried a few managers now so why not go back with the best performer they had?”
Having guided Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, Pochettino would likely be welcomed back with open arms and seems the perfect candidate to re-establish an attacking style of play at Hotspur Way.
Thomas Tuchel
The trend of ex-Chelsea managers taking over at Spurs could continue if Thomas Tuchel is approached for the potential vacancy.
Three of the last five permanent managers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have spent time in the dugout at Stamford Bridge — but there is no denying that the German would arrive with an excellent CV.
His record in management is impressive and the fiery coach most notably helped the Blues win the Champions League in 2021, overcoming Manchester City on a memorable evening in Porto.
It is unknown whether the former Borussia Dortmund tactician is a truly feasible candidate to take the reins at Spurs, as he stands in similar stead to Conte who operates with a ‘win now’ attitude.
Roberto De Zerbi
Brighton have proved that they possess real quality within their ranks and Roberto De Zerbi has done a phenomenal job at making them even better than they were under Graham Potter.
The Seagulls have a shot at securing a spot in Europe for the 2023-24 campaign and are competing with the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool despite having a significantly less glamorous squad.
De Zerbi has shown that he is willing to make tough decisions to follow his principles, dropping Leandro Trossard before his move to Arsenal while also recently promoting Jason Steele to his first-choice goalkeeper ahead of the realiable Robert Sanchez.
Evan Ferguson has emerged as a top young talent under the Italian — something which will also please the Spurs hierarchy, who have a track record of promoting youth into the first team.
Steve Cooper
Steve Cooper may be one of the least inspiring choices to replace Conte, but there is no denying that the Englishman has worked wonders with Nottingham Forest.
The 43-year-old lifted the Tricky Trees from the foot of the Championship and guided them to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Across the summer and winter transfer windows, Forest have recruited 30 players and Cooper has had to manage and embed an entire platoon while making the adjustment to England’s top flight.
His flexibility to play a three or four at the back formation makes Cooper a worthy candidate for the Spurs job, even if he is not one of the biggest names in management.
