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While Tottenham’s spine may include some of the best players in the world in their respective positions – Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen to name a few – Mauricio Pochettino is no doubt the most valuable asset at the north London club.
He’s the glue that holds everything else intact, the man who keeps the team performing beyond its means while adding value to young players, the alluring poster-boy of a project that doesn’t shell out the same salaries or transfer fees as Tottenham’s nearest Premier League rivals.
But with doubts surrounding Jose Mourinho’s future at Manchester United and Real Madrid recently wielding the axe, it feels like Tottenham are starting to lose their grip on the Argentine – especially after he admitted that this is the unhappiest he’s been during his time in charge of the Lilywhites.
So, if Pochettino is prised away at some point in the near future, who should Tottenham turn to as his successor? Football FanCast lay out six suggested solutions below…
Leonardo Jardim
He was just sacked by Monaco after a disastrous start to the season but it shouldn’t be forgotten that Leonardo Jardim masterminded the first non-PSG win of the French title for six years, despite working with considerably inferior resources and often being forced to sell his best players.
Indeed, Jardim lead Monaco to the Ligue 1 honour and some fantastic performances in the Champions League by developing an offensive side dependent on youthful imagination and enthusiasm, making him a natural fit to pick up where Pochettino would leave off in north London. Not all of Jardim’s tenures have been quite as successful though and before landing the Monaco job he’d only lasted more than 50 games at just two of his six clubs.
Gareth Southgate
The transition from international to club football is never easy but Gareth Southgate has shown enormous potential during his time as England boss, leading the Three Lions to their joint-second best ever finish at a World Cup and recently proving that run was no fluke, despite the modest quality of opposition faced, with a 3-2 win over Spain in their own back yard.
Southgate still lacks in key areas, chiefly in-game management, but the predominant asset he offers is the relationships already built with a number of Tottenham’s key players who are equally important amongst the England squad, chiefly Kane and Dele Alli. Throw in the inventiveness and boldness to select England in a 3-1-4-2 formation at the World Cup and he could be an inspired appointment for Spurs despite an underwhelming record at club level from his time with Middlesbrough.
Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe has worked absolute wonders at Bournemouth and this season is shaping up to be the climax of their progress, vastly improving on last season’s slow start to push up to sixth in the Premier League table. Resources have been made more available to Howe than the common narrative often claims but that shouldn’t take away from how he’s transformed a League One club into a top-half Premier League team by imposing an attractive style of football.
Howe’s now showing the tactical shrewdness to win games and that he can steadily develop players over several seasons, like Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson, which particularly poses similarities with Pochettino and Tottenham’s shared adventure over the last four years. And with Bournemouth seemingly on the verge of their highest height, Howe may feel that he’s taken the club as far as he can.
Brendan Rodgers
It’s been a slow start to the season for Celtic but Brendan Rodgers has overseen one of the most dominant periods in their history, one that will be remembered for fine football as well as utterly imperious results in the form of a double treble. Add that to Liverpool’s runner-up finish in 2013/14 and the Irishman’s CV is hard to argue with.
Rodgers has never quite won over everybody though and in addition to his somewhat Brent-esque mannerisms he’s often perceived as too much of an idealist who sometimes lacks the attention to detail to ensure his sides come out on top when it really matters, such as Celtic’s European campaign this season. Then again, his insistence on giving chances to young players should win over some doubters amongst the Tottenham faithful.
Laurent Blanc
As a player and a manager, Laurent Blanc has consistently lifted silverware, boasting four Ligue 1 titles from his spells with Bordeaux and PSG not to mention his key role in France’s 1998 World Cup winning squad. But his PSG side, considering the resources available, always seemed to lack imagination – far more the sum of its incredibly expensive parts than something greater.
That being said, he remains one of the biggest names in management currently out of work and will bring vast winning experience to north London, something this Tottenham team is often accused of lacking. He’s also got some experience of the English game, having spent the final few years of his playing career at Manchester United.
Marco Silva
You can question Marco Silva’s loyalty but there’s something to be said for a manager who can go from fighting relegation with Hull City to pushing for European qualification at Everton in the space of just 18 months. Indeed, Silva’s impact in the Premier League is akin to Pochettino’s when he impressed enough at Southampton to get the Spurs job – implementing a style of play and pulling off the results to make chairmen in the clubs above him take notice.
There’s still some scepticism surrounding Silva, simply because he’s not really been at any club long enough for us to see the best and the worst of him, and convincing Everton to part with him any time soon will be difficult. But the Portuguese is one of European football’s rising managerial stars and a top club will surely try to bring him in sooner or later.
So Tottenham fans, who do you see as Pochettino’s perfect successor? Let us know by voting below…