With the Premier League season reaching a climax, a number of the key issues are still to be decided. Manchester City look to have the title in their grip once more, whilst a sorry Southampton outfit look doomed at the foot of the table. However, the exact makeup of the Champions League and relegation positions remains to be seen.
Tottenham Hotspur aren’t mathematically out of the Champions League just yet – although they surely soon will be – but for Spurs supporters, the main topic of discussion centres around who the next man in the hot seat will be, following the departure of Antonio Conté.
Each day sees fans of the North London club eagerly checking the latest Premier League news headlines for the latest updates, whilst punters seeking a new betting site, such as those detailed in this RhinoBet Review, are assessing the latest odds on the next man in charge.
The market remains wide open at present, but here we take a look at four of the men deemed most likely to be tasked with righting a ship – which is in danger of veering badly off course.
Julian Nagelsman
The ex-Bayern boss is the type of big name who would likely prove popular with supporters and boasts an admirable overall body of work. Voted the 2016/17 Coach of the Season for turning Hoffenheim from relegation candidates to Champions League contenders, he then took RB Leipzig to the Champions League semi-finals, before winning a league and cup double in his first season at Bayern Munich.
Renowned for the type of flowing, attacking football traditionally associated with Spurs, he looks like a strong fit on paper. On the downside, his dismissal at Bayern came against a backdrop of reported dressing room unrest. Given the current situation at Spurs, he may be a little wary of jumping from one fire straight into another.
Xabi Alonso
A name familiar to Premier League fans, following his stellar work marshalling the midfield of Liverpool’s Champions League winning side of 2005, Alonso is proving just as talented in the dugout as he was in the centre of the park.
Cutting his teeth with Real Madrid’s Under-14 side, he took up his first full-time senior role with the Real Sociedad B in 2019 – leading the club to the Segunda División for the first time since 1961/62 during his second season in charge. That jump in class proved a step too far, with Alonso departing following relegation in 2022.
However, Bayer Leverkusen were sufficiently impressed to appoint Alonso at the BayArena in October of 2022. So far, Alonso has been solid but not spectacular in Germany, with Leverkusen off the pace in the race for the Champions League. Whilst showing promise, this may just be a little early for such a monumental task.
Arne Slot
Turning to the Dutch Eredivisie has largely worked out for Manchester United, with the Old Trafford club showing definite improvement under the stewardship of Erik ten Hag. It may be that Spurs follow a similar path, with the name of Feyenoord coach Arne Slot increasingly cropping up in conversation.
Whilst it can be a little risky to draw direct conclusions from what is an undeniably weaker competition, Slot’s performance in the Netherlands has been eye-catching, to say the least. Joining AZ Alkmaar in 2019, he left the club having recorded the highest points per game average of any coach in the history of the club.
Next stop Feyenoord, where his methods seem to be working the oracle once more. Winning the Rinus Michels Award for the Eredivisie Manager of the Year, following a third-place finish in 2021/22, Slot currently has Feyenoord sitting eight points clear at the top of the table, and on course for their first title since 2016/17.
Ange Postecoglou
A little closer to home, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the CV of Celtic’s Australian coach, Ange Postecoglou. The prospect of recruiting from the Scottish top flight may have taken a blow following the flop of Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, but Postecoglou looks a much safer bet than the inexperienced Liverpool legend.
Formerly with South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar in his homeland, he won the league title with both clubs. Following stints on various rungs of the National set-up, he then illustrated his merits at club level once more when winning the J-League with Yokohama F.Marinos.
Moving to Celtic Park in June of 2021, he has picked up a League and League Cup double in each of his two seasons in charge. More impressive is his 75% win percentage, which places him behind only Martin O’Neill amongst Celtic managers with over 100 games in charge. That success has been built upon an exciting brand of possession-based attacking football, and he may well be ready to take the next step up the ladder.