Thomas Tuchel has been learning Spanish in recent months to bolster his chances of landing the Real Madrid job – amid links with replacing Antonio Conte at Tottenham.
Tuchel was surprisingly sacked by Chelsea in September with Graham Potter replacing him in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have struggled for results in recent months with fans chanting Tuchel's name during their four-goal FA Cup defeat at Manchester City earlier this year.
The German coach was not interested in taking over at Aston Villa following the sacking of Steven Gerrard in October, with Unai Emery appointed at Villa Park. That came after Bayer Leverkusen made an approach for the out-of-work German, before moving to appoint Xabi Alonso.
Spurs and Chelsea share a close rivalry but no shortage of former Blues bosses have subsequently moved on to coach the north London side, including Andre Villas-Boas, Jose Mourinho and current Tottenham boss Conte.
Separate reports have outlined how Tuchel turned down approaches from two unnamed Premier League clubs as he postponed a return to the dugout. However he is now said to be open to replacing Conte at Spurs – just months after the two clashed in fiery scenes during a Premier League meeting this season.
The North London club are set for a managerial change at the end of the campaign with Conte out of contract and there appearing to be little willingness on either side to extend the deal. Spurs are aiming to secure a top four spot in the Premier League, but will finish the campaign trophyless.
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Despite Tuchel being a leading candidate to succeed Conte in the Spurs dugout, a report in Bild outlines how he has been learning Spanish in the past six months. He is said to have eyes on the Real Madrid hotseat, which may be vacated by Carlo Ancelotti this summer.
Ancelotti has been linked with the Brazil national team post, which has yet to be filled on a permanent basis since Tite’s exit after the World Cup. Another candidate for Madrid’s hotseat could be Mauricio Pochettino – who has also been linked with a return to Spurs.
Pochettino spent five-and-a-half years at the helm of the north London club, taking them to the Champions League final in 2019 before being dismissed six months later. He subsequently spent a season-and-a-half at Paris Saint-Germain prior to his sacking at the end of last season.
