da betsson： A recent conversation with a Tottenham fan led to the conclusion that if Harry Redknapp were leave for the England job at the end of the season, then it is imperative the side go for a big name to replace him. The argument was that while Redknapp didn’t necessarily rub shoulders with the achievements of the Guardiolas, Mourinhos and Fergusons, he did enough to keep hold of the club’s star players in Luka Modric and Gareth Bale; but also that his replacement had to be a big enough name to help retain those players and take the club forward.
da brwin： A fair conclusion, or, much like the FA are doing with their pursuit of a new coach, unnecessarily diminishing the pool with which to select a successor?
Recent talk of Jose Mourinho leaving Real Madrid in the summer has of course led to quick assumptions that he’d want to take over at White Hart Lane. Similarly, Carlo Ancelotti was a name thrown out prior to his move to PSG. But are these realistic choices for a club like Tottenham? Their good form this season shouldn’t dismiss the fact there is still work to be done for the club to establish themselves as one of the regular contenders for the Premier League title. Perhaps too much work and a little further away from where potential choices like Mourinho would like to be?
The truth is, there are many, many outstanding candidates who tick all the right boxes for a club like Spurs: a team who wants to play expansive, attractive football and build on the foundation laid by Redknapp and Daniel Levy.
As has been a recent trend, people tend to look to the good work done in Germany by both their national coach and the managers domestically. Lucian Favre’s Monchengladbach side have been a revelation this season, playing attacking football which has seen a number of impressive victories, notably the double over Bayern Munich this season, and occupying 3rd place in the league. A manager who has done wonders with very little in the way of financial resources and one who has taken a relegation threatened side of last season into the certain destination of the Champions League next season.
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Similarly, a name very familiar on the continent is Jurgen Klopp, who guided his Dortmund side to the league title last season playing fantastic football on the foundation of youth. Already coveted by Liverpool prior to the appointment of Kenny Dalglish, Klopp is a youthful manager with plenty to offer outside of German football.
And then there’s Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao, who takes his side into a tough tie against Manchester United in the Europa League. A man who has reinvented the way football is played at the Basque club and who are now looking to make a charge on the Champions League places. An erratic character but greatly respected and admired; his name has even come up as a potential replacement to Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. He’s taught his Bilbao side to turn their backs on the predictable long ball football with Fernando Llorente as the central figure, and rather to playing the ball out from defence. An exceptional candidate for any club looking to push on to a new level.
But what about Spurs looking closer to home and in the form of David Moyes? It seems there is a never-ending conveyor belt of people looking to praise the Everton manager and all he has achieved with so little backing. There’s no doubting that sooner or later the Glaswegian will leave his post at Goodison Park and move to a club who have the muscle to fulfil both his ambitions and abilities as a manager. Again, not necessarily a huge name in world football, certainly not one you’d expect to see linked with the job at Real Madrid, but one who is more than capable of extending Spurs’ good fortune on the pitch.
The notion that the next Tottenham boss had to be a huge name was a little lost on me. Arsenal certainly didn’t go down that avenue and it brought much fruit in many forms. Similarly, Barcelona looked internally to replace Frank Rijkaard and offered the job to a man with very little experience in management—with only the coach of the Barcelona B team on Pep Guardiola’s CV.
There is certainly a abundance of quality across Europe who would be excellent candidates to take on the job in the dugout if Redknapp does decide to leave; and maybe the lack of a high profile arrival will aid in Tottenham’s short-term stability, showing some decency in allowing the new manager enough time to settle and impose himself on his new surroundings.
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