Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen on appointing either Roberto Mancini or Graham Potter as their next manager, should current boss Antonio Conte depart.
The Telegraph have reported that Paris Saint-Germain are keen to appoint Conte as their new boss at the end of the season if they sack former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino. They have reported that if Conte was to replace Pochettino, then the Argentinian would be on Spurs’ shortlist to replace Conte, alongside current Italy boss Mancini and Potter, who is currently in charge of Brighton and Hove Albion.
Mancini is experienced in the Premier League, having managed Manchester City between December 2009 and May 2013. While at the Etihad Stadium, Mancini helped City to win their first Premier League title in the 2011/12 season, as well as one FA Cup and a Community Shield.
Potter meanwhile is only into his third senior managerial role, having previously taken charge of Swedish side Ostersund and Swansea City, before moving to the Seagulls in 2019. The Brighton boss is currently in his third season at the Amex Stadium and has been repeatedly linked with interest from Spurs since first moving to the Sussex side.
Conte arrived at Spurs at the start of November to succeed former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Espirito Santo and in his almost six months in north London, the Italian has picked up 43 points from 23 games. In that time, only Manchester City (60) and Liverpool (57) have earned more points in England’s top flight.
However, there is a suggested concern that Conte will want to move on to pastures new if Spurs fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Spurs currently sit fifth and two points shy of the Champions League places with five games to go. A top-four finish would get them back in the Champions League group stages, but standing in their way at present are their north London rivals Arsenal.
If Antonio Conte departs Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the season, who should his replacement be? Let us know in the comments section.
A big boost in Tottenham's form since Conte’s arrival has been their ability to score goals. Spurs have scored 47 goals in their 23 games in the Premier League since Conte arrived, with only Man City (60) and Liverpool (56) converting more often in that time.
If Spurs do lose Conte, they could be in for a significant cash boost. The Telegraph suggest that Conte’s remaining contract is worth around £15m, which would give Tottenham a sufficient fund to hire a star-studded replacement for their current former Chelsea boss, should they need to.
As things stand, Mancini is staying put as Italy’s manager, despite crashing out in their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with defeat against North Macedonia. That defeat came just eight months after beating England in the final of EURO 2020.
Tottenham’s final five games of the season start on Sunday with a home meeting with Leicester City, who themselves are in the semi-finals of this season’s Europa Conference League. Spurs’ next two games come against two of the four sides above them, travelling to Liverpool before playing host to London rivals Arsenal in a game that could decide the race for fourth place.
Spurs’ final two games are much easier, on paper. Their penultimate match of the season comes at home to a Burnley side who are fighting to avoid relegation before facing a trip to bottom of the table Norwich City on the final day of the campaign.
Should Tottenham finish in the top four, it would be the first time that they have qualified for the Champions League group stages for three seasons.
