When Tottenham completed the fantastic new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, ambition was through the roof. The club had enjoyed continuous progress in the Premier League, and was making headway in Europe. A UEFA Champions League Final in 2019 followed, and they had a young side that was, for many, the envy the entire league. A young, vibrant side with depth and with quality in most areas, all on long-term deals for excellent value wages. What could go wrong?
Fast forward to 2021, and the better question might be what else could go wrong?
Beloved coach Mauricio Pochettino was unceremoniously sacked, replaced by Jose Mourinho. Mourinho is now gone, replaced by youth coach Ryan Mason. The team has broken up, with many key performers like Jan Vertonghen and Cristian Eriksen away. The club now is left with a bloated squad of players they cannot shift, or players who seemingly cannot wait to escape. The middle pack includes a list of Premier League quality players who are probably worth keeping, but aren’t likely to get the market excited if they were available.
An unbalanced squad paired with an eye-watering debt pile and a lack of UCL qualification. For Spurs, the dreams of having the best stadium in London paired with the best young squad is a pipedream. If fans are honest, they are closer to the Juande Ramos era now than they were to the peak Pochettino years.
And the problem for Spurs is simple – replacing Pochettino with Mourinho was seen as a reactionary, hasty ‘win now’ decision. It also means that, with the disastrous consequence of that decision, other top coaches are either not interested or are wary of working within the constraints that are sure to exist on Spurs moving forward.
Why are Tottenham finding it hard to get a quality coach?
Most of the big names linked have, so far, politely knocked the job back. The first names linked including Julien Nagelsmann and Erik ten Haag either signed with other clubs or renewed terms with their current employer. Others, such as Antonio Conte, are believed to have simply used Spurs as a negotiating tactic in their own boardroom battles.
Other prestigious names such as Hansi Flick have done all they can to avoid being linked with the Spurs job. Instead, the most commonly linked names are young English managers without big club credentials – the likes of Eddie Howe and Graeme Potter – or ex-players with lots to prove. The spectre of legendary striker Jurgen Klinsmann putting his name in for the job would be enough to scare most Spurs fans.
The reality is that Spurs are simply not in a position to offer the project or the financial power needed to attract the elite names of the coaching game. The days of being able to sell a project with UCL football, a vibrant young squad, and the chance to really build something genuine look to be numbered.
Instead, any new manager is likely walking into a firesale and a squad that really looks desperate to be rebuilt.
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