When Jose Mourinho was appointed Tottenham Hotspur manager in 2019, the former FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United manager come “serial winner” was supposed to usher the club into a new era, to set a siege mentality within his players and to adopt a win-at-all-costs approach. He was the natural-born winner whose methods and philosophy would inevitably sprout a few rocky relationships, form a dictatorship rather than a well-rounded group all the while winning a few much needed trophies along the way.

It happened in Madrid, in West London at Chelsea and up north at Manchester United where a League Cup and Europa League triumph gave the club the impression that they had successfully transitioned from the post-Sir Alex slump. A little under two years later, and the man once spoken as ‘top coaches in the world’ along with Pep Guardiola by Daniel Levy at his appointment was given his marching orders by the same man a few days before a cup final, a competition where he picked up the reputation of becoming unstoppable at: the Carabao Cup, against Guardiola.

Tottenham are searching for another new manager after sacking Jose Mourinho following a dismal run of form which has seen them fall out of the title race, dumped out of the Europa League and beset by stories of dressing room unrest.

As cruel as it may have seemed, Levy thought the shackles would have been off, and his club will finally express themselves, released from the chains of a pragmatist and finally win their first trophy in 13 years, under a coach with no managerial experience whatsoever. Certainly a silly and careless decision, and that’s not Ryan Mason’s fault at all but its clear the clubs needs a new direction, fresh impetus and a manager ready to take the club to the next level.

It won’t be an easy decision for Levy, and its one he’ll have to make with much consideration and avoid making the same mistake trying to sign a high-profile manager who may look ideal at face value, but end up having to be paid off in the end because the excitement fizzled out. As hard as it may be for Levy, there are some exciting managers for him to get his feelers into.

The name around everyone’s lips has been RB Leipzig’s exciting, intelligent and innovative manager Julian Nagelsmann, but he’s reportedly chosen to represent Bayern Munich instead next season as officially announced by Bayern Munich above, which may come as a form of disdain for Levy, but the alternative candidates who could be available prove that you cannot always put your eggs in one basket, especially when trying to usher your club into a new managerial era.

So which of these exciting choices would be the ideal fit to take the reins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

Ralph Hasenhüttl, Southampton

Despite Southampton’s current plight in the Premier League, with only 3 league wins since the turn of the year, there is no doubt that Ralph Hasenhüttl is amongst the most exciting managers in Europe. His work at Leipzig before his arrival in England is of notable mention, ushering in an exciting era at the German club but his work at Southampton cannot be understated too. The club play an exciting brand of football, and it is a vital element that Levy will look to consider when picking his next manager.

Yes, Hasenhüttl has had a few bumps on the road during his tenure, but how many times has he risen out of those ashes? It’s easy to forget that Southampton sat top of the league in November and that was down to the superb work the Austrian did in revitalizing and installing a mentality that took his players to such lofty heights, but also put him on the radar of top clubs around Europe. The injuries haven’t helped his cause this season, and its why Southampton are where they are, but yet every week they conjure up reasons to believe they will continue go places if the Austrian manages to steer them from trouble once again. Imagine what he could do though, with much better group of players at his disposal?

His current contract at Southampton runs until 2024 and, as reported by the Telegraph, there is a release clause in the deal which could see the club demand up to £20million to let him leave – his wages would be significantly lower than some of the starrier names that have been linked to the job.

The Austrian’s collegiate approach to management – few coaches in the top flight are as tactile or emotionally involved as Hasenhüttl on the touchline – would surely appeal to a squad that seems to have been depleted by Mourinho’s largely joyless and soul-less approach to management.

Throw in the fact that Southampton to White Hart Lane is a well-trodden path for managers – think Glen Hoddle and, more recently the successful, Mauricio Pochettino – now why wouldn’t Hasenhüttl be a good bet to take the managerial hotseat?

Erik Ten Hag, Ajax

According to various reports, Ajax’s Erik Ten Hag – one of the best and most innovative coaches in the business – is on the shortlist to take the Tottenham managerial hotseat this summer.

According to Football.London, Tottenham are looking for a manager who is progressive, attack-minded, favouring possession-based football and most importantly fits into the club culture. Those characteristics are Ten Hag in a nutshell, that’s if you’ve witnessed the astonishing football put on show by the prestigious European club Ajax.

Tottenham know all about Ten Hag following their closely-contested Champions League semi-final against his Ajax side in 2019.

Since taking over for Marcel Keizer in December 2017, Erik Ten Hag has been a revelation at Dutch giants. In fact, it would have been difficult for anyone to do a better job. The Dutch manager scraped Ajax back into the title race in his first season in the dugout, only missing out on the league title by four points, and since then has won the Eredivisie, gotten his team to the UEFA Champions League semi-final and now looks set to win the league all over again. That has all culminated in an outrageous 74% of his matches won since the tail-end of 2017. 

Ten Hag favours a possession-based style of play and that would be a certain change of direction from Jose Mourinho’s dinosaur-style tactics. Ajax are a side who press high-up the pitch, looking to win the ball back as quickly as they can. The Premier League viewing numbers would sky-rocket simply as a result of such exciting and progressive style of football, and Erik Ten Hag will be a massive contributor to that. Like some of the candidates on this list, Ten Hag has experience of winning trophies and challenging at the top level every year.

He’d be a wonderful candidate to bring to North London.

Marcelino, Athletico Bilbao

According to various reports, not least The Athletic, Tottenham have contacted the representatives of Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelino. He’s only been in his current role since January, but has already garnered many plaudits for his managerial style, philosophy and tactics. The club currently sit 10th in La Liga, though Marcelino has brought much improvement after their disastrous start to the campaign under predecessor Gaizka Garitano.

Of his 24 La Liga games since his appointment, Bilbao have only lost five and much of that is down to the pragmatic counter-attacking style that Marcelino operates under. His philosophy may not win many plaudits in North London, after the exploits of former boss Jose Mourinho, but Marcelino has picked up a very favourable reputation of influencing his players to perform to the best of their abilities in every game. He also has a decent CV on his resume leading the club to an unprecedented Supercopa de España triumph over Barcelona in January, as well as a Copa Del Rey triumph with former employers Valencia in 2019, a club he was very unfortunate in being sacked.

Since then, he’s also lost the last two finals to Barcelona in April 2021 and Real Sociedad in the delayed 2020 final due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though, that shouldn’t derail his chances of picking up a job at a much bigger side. Like Hasenhüttl, you could argue that Marcelino could do really well providing he holds more quality in his weaponry. Athletic Bilbao may not be amongst the biggest in Spain, but they are a prestigious, well-run club and Marcelino has exemplified those hallmarks in the little time he’s been at the helm.

It is claimed that, although Marcelino is under contract until 2022, clauses within his contract could allow him to leave for an affordable compensation fee this summer. A risky, outside bet but its one Daniel Levy will have no qualms in pursuing.

Rafael Benitez

Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez is eyeing a swift return to management in the Barclays Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur could represent the perfect opportunity for him to make his mark once again.

Benitez has been unemployed since ending his 18-month stint with Chinese club Dalian Pro in January and is back at his family home near Liverpool and holds an impressive CV that any young manager today will look to in much admiration.

He enjoyed a six-year spell with Liverpool, famously winning the Champions League in 2005 as well as the FA Cup a year later, and won the Europa League as Chelsea’s interim manager in 2013. The Spaniard is also loved in Newcastle after returning the club to the Premier League in 2017 before recording finishes of 10th and 13th on a limited budget.

He was criticised for his defensive approach at Newcastle, but there is an argument that the Spaniard could only work with the best he had on Tyneside, on a limited budget with only a few above-average footballers. The defensive, counter-attacking style was him making use of the players he had. If he does become Spurs boss, there is no doubt Benitez will make his mark again. He’ll surely be backed in the transfer market and will more than likely be given the freedom to work his magic, the way he wants to but more importantly, his experience in challenging for trophies and possibly getting Spurs back into the Champions League are targets he is more than capable in fulfilling.

“The priority is England,” Benitez told The Sunday Times. “Why? Because obviously I like the Premier League and my family is here.

“I have a lot [of offers] from the Emirates, United States, Brazil, China, but I want to stay in Europe. And I want to stay in England.

“If it’s the right one, we can do it tomorrow but the project, the competitive team, is not there at the moment so we have to wait.

“But I don’t want to stay without working. I want to be on the pitch as soon as possible.”

Tottenham are available, Benitez is available and hungry to return. Makes perfect sense right?

Ralf Rangnick

If Tottenham are due to look at one of the protege’s of the Ralf Ragnick style of football in Ralph Hasenhüttl, then why not turn to the teacher himself?

Rangnick has become quite the enigma in European football. He led the Hoffenheim project between 2006 and 2011, then guided Schalke into the Champions League semi-finals in 2011.

The German quit just months later citing exhaustion and tiredness, and his only managerial roles since then have been with RB Leipzig, taking interim charge for two separate seasons.

Rangnick most recently held a position with Red Bull and their football output, and his name always seems to come up for big jobs before falling away for some reason or another, such as with AC Milan last summer. At the age of 62, time may well be running out for the pioneer of the modern German game to test himself at the highest level once again.

Tottenham may well admire him, according to various reports but the thought of him working with Daniel Levy, considering their two strong characteristics seems a stretch in the imagination. However, you’d be mad to turn down the opportunity of recruiting one of the most respected names in the modern era of management.

He would bring an exciting brand of football to Spurs having been tabbed as the inspiration for Jurgen Klopp’s brand of football, and Spurs fans may be interested in that sort of change after Mourinho.

It’s not only Jurgen Klopp using him as a driving force in his management, but highly-rated coaches such as Marco Rose, Adi Hütter, Sebastian Hoeness and Julian Nagelsmann — have embedded his school of thought at teams across the Bundesliga. The dominant style of German soccer now — the one exported beyond the Bundesliga’s borders by the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Ralph Hasenhüttl — is the same style Rangnick advocated and brought to the fore two decades ago.

Rangnick transformed the way his teams played — either as a coach or as a technical director — because he importantly influenced the structure behind them. He left Red Bull in the summer, but a much-anticipated move to A.C. Milan never materialized. Wherever he lands next — ideally, he has said, in England or Germany — he will expect to do the same and Spurs are in dire need of a transformation, a fresh sense of direction after falling somewhat, into the abyss.

Who better to lead them into a new era and culture than the man who formed the one currently thriving in Germany?

Massimiliano Allegri

Tottenham need stability, shrewdness and an identity. Look no further than the man who provided two of the biggest clubs in Italy just that during his spells at both AC Milan and Juventus. Six Serie A titles, including the five-in-a-row he won at Juventus between 2015 and 2019 and four Coppa Italia’s and three Supercoppa Italiana’s. Decorated.

Max Allegri seems the perfect tonic for Tottenham. Out of work for a couple years now, there may no better time for to come back into management than now, and that’s at Spurs. The North London club are a perfect club to drive into the biggest stages and a club hoping to make their mark amongst the elite in the next five years. Allegri holds a winning mentality, a shrewdness and discipline to his approach that players will be willing to work under, players such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who could make the step up to an all-round, high-calibre, extra-terrestrial defensive midfielder under Allegri’s management.

Known for his tactically fluid style, Allegri’s teams play a more patient, possession-based game. His Juventus teams would regularly switch between a 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2 system during matches depending on the opponent and how much attacking pressure he felt he needed to exert.

A lot of people have mentioned his lack of speaking good English, which may prove a stumbling block for interestd parties. However, it is thought that during his time away from the game, Allegri has studied the English game, culture and language and is certainly ready to manage in the Barclays Premier League.

Silverware in every season with Juventus will be an appealing ingredient for Tottenham, who have not won a thing since the 2008 League Cup, you could imagine what could have been had Allegri managed the club going into the Carabao Cup final with Manchester City. The Italian has an amazing track record and could well be the man to put the club back on the right track if he was granted the opportunity to return to football with Spurs as his next project.

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