When Mauricio Pochettino excited Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, the expectation was the club would hire a winner. Seen as being ready to win trophies now, they punted for Jose Mourinho, the trophy-expert Portuguese. However, over a year into the Mourinho project, there are already doubts about how viable the project is. Seen as the antithesis of Pochettino, a development coach and ‘club builder’ manager, Mourinho is seen as a short-term trophy winner who ekes out every inch of energy he can from an experienced team. Reports, though, suggest Spurs are beginning to get cold feet.
And given the utterings of RB Leipzig coach Julien Nagelsmann after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, the Mourinho replacement might be waiting in the wings. It would be ironic, though, to see Spurs return to the club building methodology that served them so well under the Argentine, giving up quickly on the ‘win now’ culture that Mourinho demands.
The expectation is that Nagelsmann will move on from Leipzig in 2022, though an exit could be made easier in the near future. The German, though, is seen as the ideal replacement alongside Leicester City coach Brendan Rodgers.
What did Nagelsmann say?
Recently, the German tactician carried out an interview with The Telegraph. Covering a wide range of topics, one question that came up was the discussion around the German arriving in the Premier League in the near future. When asked about the chance to come to England, Nagelsmann said: “I have a contract now until 2023 so I think I will stay in Leipzig, 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 Jurgen who is very successful. It could be a step in the future.”
Clearly, there is more interest from the German side of things in the English game than ever before. The arrival of both Klopp and Thomas Tuchel has opened the door for the respected German tacticians to be given a chance in the English game. With fresh ideas, aggressive football, and a penchant for youth development, there is a clear attraction that exists among the various sides involved.
That is why there is such interest in the likely move for the German from a Premier League team. With Spurs already having a strong reputation in Germany thanks to the history of Jurgen Klinsmann, it could give the North London team the edge in attracting a new coach.
Mourinho, though, has so far failed to have the impact that was hoped for when he first arrived. Results have been inconsistent, with Spurs again failing to stay with the leading pack and a growing reliance on the front duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min. If Spurs decide to get cold feet and move on from the Portuguese, expect Nagelsmann to be at the top of the list of potential replacements to arrive.
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