It is now 60 days since Antonio Conte and Tottenham parted ways. Ample time to identify the Lilywhites' next manager and come to an agreement for the 2023/24 season and beyond, Daniel Levy and Spurs are no closer to finding Conte's successor.
A host of managers have been linked with the hotseat since the 53-year-old departed, including Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi and Vincent Kompany. Appearing that Arne Slot would be the man to finally take on the vacancy after doing a remarkable job at Feyenoord after guiding them to the Eredivisie title following a major summer rebuild, Thursday morning saw another major twist in the managerial hunt.
“I have been hearing a lot of rumours going around about other clubs' interest in me. Although I am thankful, my wish is to stay at Feyenoord and continue working on what we created last year," said Slot. as reported by Dutch publication AD.
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“There is not - and there has not been - transfer conversation and yesterday’s meeting was exclusively for an extension. All talks with the club have always been only in that sense. I'm looking forward to next season with Feyenoord.”
Now with the 44-year-old set to stay in Rotterdam for the foreseeable future, Tottenham's hunt for Conte's successor has been plunged into even more disarray. One thing the club would have been intent on avoiding this summer was a repeat of their manager search two years earlier.
Once again, Spurs missed out on top managerial targets and it culminated in Nuno Espirito Santo's appointment after a chaotic 72-day search, with the Portuguese boss sacked at the beginning of November following a nightmare run of form. Tottenham will surpass those 72 days this time around unless Levy can find his man very quickly and appoint him in the next week or so.
In his annual notes in the club's matchday programme for the final game of the season, the chairman stated ahead of last Saturday's Brentford game that Tottenham "shall spend the period ahead of next season working relentlessly to position our club for on-pitch success and football you will love to come and watch". Amid a mountain of criticism coming his way from supporters about the club's current predicament and the direction they are going in after going backwards following Pochettino's departure, it is absolutely vital that Levy sticks by his statement and brings a manager to the club who will give fans the attacking football they crave.
Two years earlier in his programme notes, the 61-year-old had outlined "the need to select someone whose values reflect those of our great club and return to playing football with the style for which we are known – free-flowing, attacking and entertaining - whilst continuing to embrace our desire to see young players flourish from our academy alongside experienced talent" in his search for Jose Mourinho's replacement. That was far from what Tottenham fans got in return as Espirito Santo's tenure proved to be disastrous, with the football served up extremely poor and the team even struggling to register a shot on target in some games.
Following Slot's decision to remain with Feyenoord, former Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is now one of the leading contenders for the vacancy with the bookmakers. Nagelsmann, Ange Postecoglou, Luis Enrique and Graham Potter are all high up on the list, with Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim an outsider for the hotseat.
Perhaps the only appointment that could now appease fans is for Tottenham to go all out for Nagelsmann. Previously the favourite to replace Conte in N17, Spurs had insisted earlier in the month that they had not held talks with the German and did not intend to despite plenty of respect within the north London club for the 35-year-old.
While it would be an embarrassing U-turn on the club's part given their previous stance, the ex-Bayern Munich boss ticks plenty of boxes for Spurs and he would help Levy deliver his statement. Amorim is another in the mould of an up-and-coming manager, with fans already getting a glance of the style of football he plays after his Sporting CP side came up against Tottenham in the Champions League earlier in the season.
The potential appointment of Rodgers, Postecoglou or Potter would be extremely underwhelming for many, especially given the seasons that Rodgers and Potter endured with Leicester and Chelsea respectively, and the same would go for acting head coach Ryan Mason if he was to be handed the position on a permanent basis. Not only needing a new head coach, Spurs also require a new managing director of football in a pivotal summer for the club.
Already in the spotlight with their manager hunt again going from one disaster to another, Slot's decision to remain with Feyenoord means that all eyes will be firmly fixed on Levy over the coming weeks. Now on course to, unfortunately, beat the 72-day search that resulted in Espirito Santo's appointment in 2021, the chairman now more than ever needs to get his next decision right as he looks to take Tottenham forward once again.
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