Tottenham Hotspur have made the decision to relieve Jose Mourinho of his managerial duties after a poor run of form with no signs of improvement.
Spurs have lost seven of their last 15 Premier League games, only winning six and drawing two. They have also exited the FA Cup in the fifth round and imploded against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.
It was reported that Tottenham may have already been planning for life after Jose Mourinho. The decision was confirmed on Monday with the majority of Mourinho’s coaching staff also leaving. Consequently, Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have left the club.
Daniel Levy has appointed Ryan Mason as interim manager until the end of the season. Mason will not have much time to prove himself with only six games left. Although, in those six games he will have a cup final against Manchester City and a top-4 battle in the Premier League. Levy, Tottenham’s chairman, will have a big decision to make this summer.
Here are some of the people who Levy could choose to be the next manager in North London.
Julian Nagelsmann
Julian Nagelsmann is currently manager at RB Leipzig. They currently sit second in the German Bundesliga, and they reached the Champions League Semi-Finals last season. Nagelsmann, 33, has received much attention for his handling in Leipzig and is on the shortlist for the Tottenham job.
Unfortunately for the Lilywhites, he is also highly coveted by German giants Bayern Munich. Reports say Bayern’s current manager Hansi Flick is next in line for the German National Team job. Nagelsmann looks to be a possibility for his replacement.
“I have a contract now until 2023 so I think I will stay in Leipzig,” said Nagelsmann in an interview with the Telegraph back in February. “The Premier League is a very interesting league and I can imagine it could be a big aim to be a big manager in the Premier League one day like [Liverpool boss] Jurgen [Klopp] who is very successful. It could be a step in the future.”
Brendan Rodgers
Daniel Levy has been a long time admirer of Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers, 48, became manager at Leicester in 2019, and has enjoyed a successful couple of seasons. This season, the Foxes are in their first FA Cup final in 52 years and are in line for a top-4 finish.
Even with the huge admiration for Rodgers, Tottenham will have a tough time stealing him away from Leceister.
“It’s football, there is always speculation around, every job which comes up there will always be different managers speculated to go in,” Rodgers said when asked about Spurs. “Tottenham is a fantastic club, it’s a huge club but my focus is here. I’m at a world-class training facility. The project we’re in here we still want to develop and have a lot of work to do.”
Ryan Mason
All signs point to Tottenham hiring a new manager in June, but interim manager Ryan Mason does have an outside shot. If Mason leads Spurs to their first trophy in 13 years and secures Champions League football next season, it will be hard for Levy not to knock off the ‘interim’ tag.
Mason, 29, is a former Spurs midfield, but was forced into early retirement due to a head injury. After his playing days, he was a manager in the Spurs’ youth program.
He became the youngest Premier League manager in history when Tottenham beat Southampton on Wednesday.
Ledley King
Ledley King is one of the only ones from Mourinho’s staff that is still with the club. King will continue his role as First Team Assistant until the end of the season. It seems a matter of time until King becomes manager of his boyhood club.
King, 40, is one of the club’s best ever defenders, and like Mason, was forced into early retirement due to injuries. He was an important man for Mourinho, helping with the defensive schemes. Expect King to do the same for Mason.
“I think it’s been fantastic to have him around the team,” said Spurs defender Eric Dier. “There are times where he says things to the team in certain moments which have been really good – before certain games, in certain moments, talking about his experiences as a Spurs player in the past and what has happened in those games. For him to be able to pass on that knowledge to us has been really important.”
Scott Parker
Scott Parker, 40, is currently managing Fulham in the Premier League. In his first season with Fulham in 2019, they were relegated to the Championship. The very next season Parker led Fulham back to the top flight. Unfortunately, Fulham are in the relegation battle again, as they currently sit 18th in the league.
During his playing career, Parker made 50 appearances for the Lilywhites. As a result, he returned to N17 after his retirement as the U-18 coach.
Spurs fans may have trouble going from a serial winner in Mourinho to a possible Championship manager in Parker.
Steven Gerrard
The Liverpool legend is currently managing Scottish side Rangers F.C. and doing extremely well for himself. Steven Gerrard has led Rangers to their first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years.
It may seem odd for a man so loyal to Liverpool to manage for a rival, but Gerrard, 40, has said that he doesn’t want to take a job at Liverpool too early in his managerial career. Gerrard has drawn attention for his success in Scotland and Europe, as he’s led Rangers to the Europa League Group Stage in every season.
Tottenham are heading into a very important summer with speculation around Harry Kane’s future. Whoever is chosen will have a lot of work to do in the post-Mourinho era.
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