Tottenham have told Mauricio Pochettino they won’t be re-hiring him as manager, according to reports. Daniel Levy is currently on the lookout for a replacement for Antonio Conte, who lost his job in north London last week. However, it appears one of the favourites for the job won’t be rocking up in the capital.
According to the Daily Star, Pochettino was ready to return to Tottenham for a second time – nearly four years after he was axed and replaced by Jose Mourinho.
Yet the 51-year-old, after ‘brief talks’ between the parties, has now been informed the club aim to move forward with a ‘new coach and new voice at the helm’.
It is a blow for the Argentine, who has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.
Pochettino had actually been hoping to become Manchester United manager 12 months ago, having long been admired at Old Trafford.
Yet the Red Devils turned him down in favour of Erik ten Hag, who has since proceeded to work wonders in the dugout.
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Pochettino had believed the support of Tottenham fans would potentially sway Levy into giving him a second crack at the Spurs job.
But the report says Tottenham have four other managerial targets instead as they weigh up their options.
Julian Nagelsmann is one, with the German now out of work in the wake of Bayern Munich’s brutal decision to recently relieve him of his duties.
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot is also dubbed a ‘strong contender’ as well, having done well during his time in the Netherlands.
And Vincent Kompany and Thomas Frank are in the frame to take over, too, amid their positive work at Burnley and Brentford.
It’s also said Nagelsmann was unwilling to take the Tottenham job right now, while other candidates are already employed.
And that’s why Levy has turned to Cristian Stellini to lead the side until the end of the season instead.
The Italian, who had been a key member of Conte’s backroom staff during his spell in charge, has revealed he’s ‘honoured’ by being given the job on a temporary basis.
“We know when you’re not winning or lose games, the fans are unhappy,” said the 48-year-old.
“It’s normal and we have to accept this. All the staff, the players, we want to work hard until the end of the season, because this is our club, and we want to bring everyone with us. This is important for the next 10 games.
“I feel very honoured and feel I’m in the right position to do this, I feel that, and I want to do this with all the staff, with Ryan (Mason, Assistant Head Coach), that’s very important for me and the club, and it was important when we were in charge when Antonio wasn’t here.
“We feel we can do what we did before, we want to improve, and this is a moment to take responsibility and to improve, all together.”
Jamie O’Hara, meanwhile, believes Nagelsmann is the standout candidate.
“I’d love Spurs to get Julian Nagelsmann, he’d be an unbelievable appointment,” O’Hara told Grosvenor Sport.
“He’s a top, top manager. Bayern Munich were mad to sack him.
“He was only one point behind Borussia Dortmund, he had a 70% win ratio, he won every Champions League game and was in the quarter-finals.
“I think it was a crazy decision to get rid of him. He’s the best young manager in the world and I’d love him to go to Spurs.”
He continued: “Harry Kane still has a year left on his contract so he has the power in terms of being able to see his contract out.
“He will look at it at the end of the season and Daniel Levy will look at it from a business point of view and say I can’t let Harry Kane leave for nothing, so if I’m going to sell him I need to sell him now.
“If Nagelsmann comes in, they’ve got a better chance of keeping him as he’s a top quality manager and Harry Kane will want to buy into his ideas of how they can play football.
“But I just don’t know if Kane is going to sign another four-year contract at Spurs, I can’t see it.”
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