With Antonio Conte’s days numbered, who will be the…

With Antonio Conte’s days numbered, who will be the next Tottenham manager?

Antonio Conte’s time at Tottenham Hotspur appears to be nearing an end after a difficult season with the club.

Conte returned to the dugout on Wednesday night following his recovery from gallbladder surgery to watch Spurs crash out of the Champions League at the hands of AC Milan.

“At the end of the season we will meet and then make a decision,” Conte said of his future after the game. “I have a contract that is running down and we’ll see how the season ends.”

The Italian manager has made no secret of his frustrations in charge of Tottenham, often suggesting he does not have the talent or financial resources at his disposal to end the club’s trophy drought, which is now certain to reach 15 years.

After taking charge in November 2021 and steering Spurs to a dramatic top-four finish last season, pipping Arsenal to the Champions League spots, there was optimism that Conte could lead the club forwards to a title challenge this season.

But while north London rivals Arsenal have bounced back from the disappointment of finishing fifth to launch a serious bid for the Premier League trophy, Spurs find themselves in a battle for fourth place once more, having already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in shock defeats by Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United respectively.

Now they are out of Europe too, and there are growing reports that this will be Conte’s final season in charge. So who might take over?

Mauricio Pochettino (11/8, via betfair)

The former Spurs manager has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2021-22 season, having just won his first league title. Pochettino had a strong relationship with Harry Kane and could be the best candidate to pursuade the striker to stay at the club.

Thomas Tuchel (5/1)

Tuchel was sacked by London rivals Chelsea in September. He has an impressive record across his coaching career at Borussia Dortmund, PSG and at Stamford Bridge, reaching two Champions League finals and lifting the trophy in his first season with the Blues.

Roberto De Zerbi (11/2)

Brighton appointed De Zerbi in September shortly after Tuchel’s sacking, as Chelsea poached Brighton’s previous coach Graham Potter. After making a name for himself in Serie A with Sassuolo and then a brief spell at Shakhtar Donetsk, De Zerbi has made a good start to life in the Premier League, bringing his brand of fast, attacking football to the south coast where it has been raining goals.

Thomas Frank (8/1)

The Brentford head coach continues to impress in west London and, after five years in charge, could be tempted by a new challenge.

Ange Postecoglou (12/1)

The Australian has only been in charge of Celtic for one and a half seasons but has already clinched three trophies and they are on course for back-to-back league titles under his leadership.