Tottenham Hotspur remain very much in the hunt for a new permanent manager following the sacking of Antonio Conte last month. Conte's former assistant Cristian Stellini is currently in interim charge for the rest of the season as the club look set to take their time in appointing the right man for the start of the new campaign.
One name that has been mentioned on a frequent basis is Luis Enrique, who has been out of work since December after leaving his position as manager of the Spain national team. The 52-year-old stepped down from the role after a disappointing end to the 2022 World Cup, with Spain losing on penalties to eventual semi-finalists Morocco in the last-16.
Enrique's most eye-catching spell in management came during his time at Barcelona between 2014 and 2017. The 52-year-old won eight major honours in under four years at Camp Nou, including the Champions League, helping put together one of the best front threes in football history - Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr.
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Having been out of the management game for over four months, Enrique looks to be weighing up his next options with the Spurs job catching his eye. Here, football.london rounds up the latest news linking Enrique to the vacant job at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Huge potential boost
Tottenham have reportedly received a huge boost in their potential pursuit of Luis Enrique with the Spaniard no longer among the leading contenders to take over at Chelsea. That is according to the Daily Telegraph, who claims Chelsea have narrowed down their own search for a new manager with Enrique not in the leading group of candidates.
London rivals Chelsea are in the same boat as Spurs with their eyes firmly set on finding the right man ahead of next season having placed Frank Lampard in temporary charge. Julien Naglesmann and Mauricio Pochettino - who have also been linked with Spurs - are said to be two of the favourites.
Should they wish to pursue Enrique, that would leave Spurs a much clearer path to his appointment. Supporters have been crying out for a change in tactics in recent months and Enrique would certainly provide that with his possession-based style.
Spurs plan Enrique contact
Tottenham will be stepping up their search for a new manager in the coming days as the club are set to contact Chelsea-linked Luis Enrique, according to a new report. The former Spain boss had been briefly mentioned in the new manager conversations from north London but those talks went somewhat quiet following the surprise sacking of Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann who almost immediately became Spurs' number one target.
Just a week on from the departure of Antonio Conte, Chelsea confirmed Graham Potter had left the club which meant both London clubs were then looking for a manager. The Chelsea hierarchy have laid down considerable groundwork in their pursuit of a new head coach holding in-person talks with both Nagelsmann and Enrique and Spurs now look set to do the same.
According to the Telegraph, Spurs are planning to make contact with Enrique over their vacant managerial position. Face to face talks were held between the 47-year-old and Chelsea earlier this month with Nagelsmann having his own opportunity to present his ideas in London last Thursday.
Full story here.
Enrique interest
According to Spanish outlet Sport, Tottenham are interested in Luis Enrique becoming their next permanent manager following Antonio Conte's departure last month.
It is claimed that Spurs, along with London rivals Chelsea, stands out as the most likely destination for the former Barcelona boss. The report also goes on to say that Enrique is seen as the "dream" appointment for the Lilywhites.
During his time at the Nou Camp, the Spaniard won two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League trophy.
Enrique's England dream
The Tottenham job isn't the first role in England that Enrique has been linked with since beginning his coaching journey in 2008. When Sir Alex Ferguson left Man United, Enrique was understood to be on the shortlist to replace him and then again in 2018 before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho.
One key dependent in Enrique's possible move to England is whether his wife, Elena Cullell, would be open to a move to the United Kingdom. It's been reported in the past that he has turned down jobs in the Premier League due to his wife's resistance to poor weather.
"I'd like to manage England at some point," he told FourFourTwo in 2013. "My wife wouldn't like the weather, she's from Barcelona and likes the sun. It would depend on the team and the football they played."
Conte exit confirmed
Antonio Conte and Tottenham finally parted ways on Sunday evening, with the club announcing that it was a 'mutual' decision. The Lilywhites' statement read: "We can announce that Head Coach Antonio Conte has left the Club by mutual agreement.
"We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonio’s first season at the Club. We thank Antonio for his contribution and wish him well for the future. Cristian Stellini will take the team as Acting Head Coach for the remainder of the season, along with Ryan Mason as Assistant Head Coach."
Latest next Tottenham manager odds
Following Antonio Conte's confirmed departure from Tottenham, the latest odds on the man who will be Tottenham manager for the first game of the 2023/24 Premier League season have now been released by Betfair.
Unsurprisingly, following his surprise departure from Bayern Munich, Julian Nageslmann tops the list at 15/8, while Mauricio Pochettino and current Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner fall shortly behind at 3/1 and 5/1, respectively. Luis Enrique is fourth on the list at 9/1 before Zinedine Zidane at 11/1 and Brentford manager Thomas Frank is placed at 12/1.
Ruben Amorim, who faced Conte and Spurs as Sporting CP manager, and Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi come in at 14/1. While towards the bottom of the list, the man at the helm of Juventus in Massimiliano Allegri comes next and is joined by Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou at 18/1.
Conte exit plan
After just under 16 months in the job, Antonio Conte and Tottenham will part ways later this week, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Following an explosive tirade on the club in his post-Southampton press conference, the situation is rated as pretty much irretrievable by a variety of sources involved.
A departure for Conte this week seems the likely outcome with Ryan Mason undertaking first-team responsibilities until the end of the season as he did in 2021 when Jose Mourinho was sacked.
Next manager odds
OddsChecker have released the latest odds on who will replace Conte at Tottenham, with Enrique one of the names high up on the list.
- Ryan Mason 1/10
- Mauricio Pochettino 5/1
- Oliver Gasner 6/1
- Luis Enrique 14/1
- Thomas Tuchel 16/1
- Roberto De Zerbi 18/1
- Zinedine Zidane 40/1
Management return hopes
After spending close to four months away from football, Luis Enrique wants to return to management as soon as possible, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Spaniard last took charge of a game on December 6, 2022 where his team were beaten on penalties by Morocco following a 0-0 draw.
Paratici stance
After playing a key role in the appointment of Conte, managing director Fabio Paratici will also likely have a say in the next managerial decision.
According to Times Sport, Enrique is one of Paratici's favoured targets with belief also there that he has enough pedigree to convince Harry Kane to sign a new contract.
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