Mauricio Pochettino only SECOND as Tottenham manager targets ranked, with educated gamble sealing top spot | OneFootball

It’s all change for Tottenham Hotspur on the managerial front again after they axed Thomas Frank on Wednesday, and TEAMtalk has ranked seven names all being linked with the permanent job, and it may come as a surprise as to who we have in first spot.

Spurs are now looking for their sixth permanent manager in seven years following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure back in 2019, while the writing has been on the wall for Frank for some time after a disastrous run domestically.

In complete contrast to their Champions League results this season, Frank notched just seven Premier League victories in 26 games and also has the worst top-flight home win percentage of any Spurs manager since 2008.

And with Tottenham now firmly in a relegation battle, the focus is on whether they turn to an interim chief to get them out of the mire or name a new permanent manager, knowing that a number of top targets will likely not be available until the summer.

With all that in mind, we’ve ranked the names linked to that permanent role, basing those judgements on several factors, including the fit, playing style, affinity to the club and likelihood of a deal even happening – assuming, of course, that they manage to avoid the drop…

This is more purely based on why rather than if, as it’s tough to imagine the Barcelona legend taking charge of a club that has struggled so badly domestically over the last two seasons and will almost certainly have no European football to offer up either.

The bookies do have the former Barcelona boss in the mix, however, and there’s no doubt that the football would be good on the eye if he did end up in north London.

The only real scenario where this happens, though, is if there is a major takeover in the summer and floods of money come in to revamp a young squad that is severely lacking in top-level performers.

As a legend of the game, Xavi would certainly be able to attract some big names, regardless of the lack of European football, but it still looks like an unlikely partnership.

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On his way out of Crystal Palace in the summer, the Austrian would be available to slot straight in and was heavily linked with a switch to north London once the noise over Frank’s future started to ramp up.

However, Glasner is a similar sort of character to Frank and there needs to be more of a departure from that style and often surly on-pitch demeanour. In short, the Tottenham supporters are crying out for a manager who can lift them and, while Glasner is rightly regarded as an astute tactician, he doesn’t exactly come across as someone who could bridge the growing gap between the fanbase and the team.

If Spurs do decide to move for the 51-year-old, there would at least be more intensity in the style of play, but he just doesn’t feel like the right fit after how things went down with Frank.

5) Andoni Iraola

It’s been a real mixed season for Bournemouth that had looked like it might see them end up embroiled in a relegation scrap, after a run of no wins in 11. Thankfully for them, Dr. Tottenham gave them a nice boost at the start of January and Iraola‘s men are now unbeaten in their last six league outings, winning four of those.

The Spaniard is tactically sound and plays more on the front foot than Frank, and there’s a reason he continues to be sounded out for the Manchester United job and potentially the one at Liverpool, if they decide to eventually part company with Arne Slot after a disastrous title defence.

The worry is that Tottenham end up treading the same path they did with Frank in appointing a manager who has done a tremendous job at one of the Premier League’s smaller clubs (no disrespect to the Cherries or Brentford), with most experts and pundits claiming he deserves his shot at a higher level.

4) Marco Silva

Another manager who falls into that same category as Iraola, Cottagers chief Silva has done a tremendous job with a Fulham side who play an eye-catching brand of football.

Silva is another one of those names who continue to be floated when bigger jobs become available, but he has worked on bigger stages at Sporting and also Everton in the past.

Although things did not go well on Merseyside, there is a strong feeling within the game that the 48-year-old has made big developments with his managerial style during his time at Craven Cottage and is now ready to take on another major role.

He’s probably a safer bet than both Glasner and Iraola, in terms of the overall Spurs match-up.

3) Roberto De Zerbi

Our sources have been all over the De Zerbi to Tottenham links for some time, with the club’s admiration for the Italian going back to his days at Brighton.

The football fit is there, although some fans might panic even more than Ange Postecoglou’s time in charge when it comes to the risk/rewards of playing out from the back!

In another major tick of the box, De Zerbi also has a track record of being able to improve young talent, although his sometimes volatile style can cause issues, and much would depend on how the hierarchy deals with those eventualities.

The 46-year-old has to be considered a major contender, though, given how highly he is thought of in north London.

2) Mauricio Pochettino

The top choice for the majority of Tottenham supporters, and there can be no argument that the return of the club’s former manager would appease the fanbase and at least take some pressure off an under-fire hierarchy.

Currently heading up USA’s challenge ahead of a home World Cup, Pochettino has previously revealed that he has unfinished business in north London and has heady ambitions over the direction the club needs to be going in.

The 53-year-old enjoyed varying degrees of success during his time at PSG and Chelsea after leaving Tottenham, but there is always that age-old adage of things never going as well second time around.

Indeed, Pochettino would not be inheriting the sort of squad he did back when he first took charge of Spurs more than a decade ago. However, one of his best traits is improving players, while also recognising their strengths and weaknesses and using them in the right way.

There is this thing, though, about trying to look forward rather than back and embracing new ideas from younger coaches who are starting to make names for themselves – and that’s how we’ve come to our No.1 pick.

1) Robbie Keane

Talking of not looking back (conveniently forgetting that he was a player at Spurs – twice) and trying to move forward, Keane is the educated gamble that Tottenham should be taking and sticking with through thick and thin for the next few years.

The affinity to the club is very clear and very obvious, but Keane is now forging a name for himself in management at Ferencvaros in Hungary and has been earning rave reviews for his high-octane brand of football that has already delivered one league title, with another potentially on the way as they lead the standings again.

Yes, the Hungarian top flight is a long way from the Premier League, but Ferencvaros have also competed well in the Europa League this season and face a play-off clash against Nottingham Forest to reach the last 16.

Keane, as well as Pochettino, would give the fanbase that immediate lift before even walking back into a stadium that the striker still frequents with the Spurs legend side – and remains absolute quality by the way! The bookies certainly believe he has a strong shout after the 45-year-old’s odds were slashed for the role.

He would arguably need an experienced head alongside him as assistant, preferably someone who also has club ties, but it’s time to try and bring some joy to that shiny stadium – and Keane can do exactly that, if given the backing and time to do so.