Top 8 Candidates to Replace Conte at Spurs

Updated: Mar 20, 2023 3:54 pm

As there is huge speculation that Antonio Conte will leave Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the season, we look at the potential candidates to replace him in the dugout.

1. Mauricio Pochettino

A return to a familiar place could be on for the Argentine, who took Spurs to the Champions League Final in 2018. This was their first European final since 1984 when they won the UEFA Cup. Pochettino also led them to three top-four finishes in the Premier League, with the best season coming in 2015/16, where they achieved their highest-ever points tally of 86.

Although they did not win a trophy in his tenure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Poch made Spurs an attractive team to watch, through an attacking brand of football. He also had a really good relationship with all the players and the coaching staff.

After his stint with the North London Club, Pochettino joined French giants Paris Saint Germain in 2021, where he won the Ligue 1, and the Coupe de France. However, at the start of the following season, the 51-year-old left the club after a fallout with the players. PSG also went through a  poor spectacle on the pitch, and their performances weren’t applicable to the owners.

Can Poch be the one to spark life into Spurs again?

2. Luis Enrique

Is it time for a bit of ‘tiki taka’? From his time as a player and manager of Barcelona, Enrique comes from a similar background to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. Enrique took Barcelona to two LaLiga and Dopa Del Rey doubles in 2014-15, and 2015-16. He also led Barca to a fifth Champions League Title, following a 1-3 victory over Juventus in Berlin.

in 2019, Enrique went on to lead the Spanish National team, where he led them to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they lost to eventual champions Italy. Despite qualifying for Qatar 2022, Spain was knocked out of the Round of 16 stages by Morroco on penalties. A day after the defeat, Enrique resigned as Head Coach. Is Spurs the next destination for his managerial career?

3. Marco Silva

From earning promotion back into the Premier League in May 2022, what a season Silva is having whit Fulham so far. The Cottagers are ninth in the table with 39 points from 27 games, a second season back in the top flight is surely on the cards. Silva promoted Fulham to the Premier League, by winning the Championship in May 2022.

In their Title-winning season, the West London side smashed records, such as being the first English team to score six times or more in three consecutive matches.

Silver also led Fulham to back-to-back unbeaten West London derbies over Chelsea, following a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage, and a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

So with the Cottagers in a decent position in the League, it is highly unlikely that he would take the job, however, can Levi convince him to come to North London?

4. Thomas Tuchel

Perhaps an unlikely candidate, but would Levy consider persuading the former Chelsea boss to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? Spurs were in talks with the German about a potential move in the summer, but the German seemed more interested in a move to Spain to manage Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Also, the fact that he was the Blues boss, may not suit in well with Spurs fans, as Conte and Mourinho have found out during their time at the club.

During his short spell at Chelsea, Tuchel won the Champions League and Club World Cup. The Blues also were runners-up in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in 2021.

However, a defeat to Dinamo Zagreb led to a dispute between the German and new Chairman Todd Bohely about the Transfer Window and failure to control his players, which unfortunately led to his exit from Stamford Bridge.

Having Tuchel as one of their options makes you wonder if the Club has got any direction for the future, as when Mourinho and Conte asked for more time and money to spend on the players that they wanted.

This is why you can sort of see why he would prefer to go to a bigger club like Real Madrid or Barcelona, who demand a trophy or are at least competing for trophies every season.

5. Ryan Mason

The former Spurs midfielder took charge of the squad following Jose Mourinho’s departure just before the Carabao Cup Final in 2021. Even though he managed to bring back a positive vibe at the club, Spurs finished in seventh place.

Conte then promoted him to first-team coach, where he formed a good partnership with Christian Stellni, winning three out of the four games in Conte’s absence.

As Mason has a very good relationship with the players perhaps it’ll be wise to give him another spell as interim manager if Conte decides to leave before the end of the season.

If you look at the team’s next set of fixtures post the international break, four of those games are against teams who are in or in contention for a top-four finish i.e Brighton, Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Liverpool, while Everton and Bournemouth are fighting to avoid relegation into the Championship.

So, even though Conte and Spurs aren’t really on terms, is it worth Mason taking charge of those games when you are looking to secure a place in next season’s Champions League?

Perhaps it’ll be wise to stick with Conte and at least look to secure a place in the Champions League for next season.

When Conte leaves, who should replace him in the dugout?

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