Daniel Levy has drawn up a long list for Jose Mourinho’s replacement as Tottenham manager, with reports suggesting he could also appoint the club’s first sporting director since 2015.
Mourinho got his marching orders on Monday with Spurs seventh in the Premier League and five points from the top four. His dismissal also came just six days before Tottenham’s Carabao Cup final with Manchester City on Sunday.
Mourinho when he heard the news Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Ryan Mason has been suspended for the rest of the season, but according to Athletic, the search for Mourinho’s permanent replacement has already begun. The search is still in its infancy, but Levy is said to be considering hiring a sports director for the first time since Franco Baldini left in 2015.
Since then, Spurs chairman along with director Steve Hitchen have made the majority of the decisions.
On the long list to possibly work under this new sports director is Athletic Club manager Marcelino, whose contract expires at the end of next season. Max Allegri – who has been linked with all the big jobs in Europe since leaving Juventus almost two years ago – is also being considered, as is Belgium manager and former Everton boss Roberto Martinez.
At the top of Levy’s wish list, however, is Julian Nagelsmann. However, getting hold of the RB Leipzig manager can be challenging. Not only will Leipzig be desperate to get the man who led them to a Champions League semi-final last year, Bayern Munich could also catch him with Hansi Flick, who is leaving Bayern at the end of the season.
Fulham boss Scott Parker, who had a spell at Tottenham in the 2010s, as well as current Premier League coaches Nuno Espirito Santo and Ralph Hasenhuttl are other options, while Brendan Rodgers remains an external shot.
