Johannesburg – There are valid arguments that Antonio Conte is a football genius but equally, there’s the belief he is a loose cannon.
The Italian seems to be losing the dressing room at Tottenham Hotspur with Richarlison publicly criticising his role in the team. Spurs have also not made progress from last season which will be of frustration to the former Inter Milan boss.
Currently, it looks unlikely that Conte will remain in the Spurs dugout beyond the end of this season.
The following are some candidates that the club can consider should they need a new manager.
Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel is probably the best manager available right now. He will feel that he has unfinished business in England, particularly after his abrupt sacking by Chelsea earlier in this season.
Chelsea’s degradation since they took a decision to sack Tuchel would have worked in the manager’s favour in terms of reputation.
Tuchel could help Spurs challenge for domestic cups, though, there are questions over whether he could help it challenge for the league.
Mauricio Pochettino
Pochettino is still viewed positively by Spurs fans. He made the club regular Champions League participants and the club has not shown any signs of improvement since he was sacked in 2019.
Should Pochettino return to Spurs, he will also once again be working with the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min whose development he played a strong role in moulding. He also has a good relationship with the duo.
However, Pochettino ultimately did fail to bring a piece of major silverware to Spurs in his reign at the club. While a tactically astute manager, there are questions over whether he can be a serial trophy winning manager, particularly after his spell with PSG in France did not go according to plan despite the fact that he did have a star-studded squad at his disposal.
Thomas Frank
Frank has done a good job at Brentford, transforming the Bees from Championship material into a side that actually plays decent football in the Premier League. The club comfortably avoided the drop last season and look set to do so again this term.
Some will question that Frank may just lack the “big-team” temperament, pointing to Graham Potter’s struggles at Chelsea. However, Potter was criticised for unattractive football in his previous stint with Brighton, something that is not the case for Frank.
Roberto Di Zerbi
After Potter left Brighton to join Chelsea at the start of the season, some questioned if the Seagulls could remain solid. Instead, they have actually improved under the guidance of Di Zerbi.
