Tottenham ‘make initial contact with Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelino’ as Daniel Levy continues his search for Jose Mourinho’s replacement… with RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann still the club’s preferred choice and Maurizio Sarri also in contention
- Tottenham have reportedly made contact with Athletic Bilbao boss Marcelino
- Daniel Levy is on the hunt for a manager after sacking Jose Mourinho on Monday
- Marcelino has moved around Spain’s top clubs and developed a good reputation
- RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann is still the preferred choice to take over
- Reports in Italy claimed Spurs have also made contact with Maurizio Sarri
Tottenham have already made contact with Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelino as Daniel Levy continues his search for Jose Mourinho’s replacement, according to reports.
Mourinho was sacked on Monday morning after just 17 months in charge in north London. He left with Spurs seventh in the Premier League and they were knocked out of the Europa League in embarrassing fashion at Dinamo Zagreb last month.
Chairman Levy has already placed former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason in caretaker charge until the end of the season and now the hunt is on for a new manager ready for the start of next season.
Tottenham have reportedly made contact with Athletic Bilbao’s Marcelino about taking over
Daniel Levy is on the hunt for a new manager after sacking Jose Mourinho earlier this week
Mourinho was sacked on Monday morning after just 17 months in charge in north London
According to The Athletic, Spurs have already made contact with Bilbao boss Marcelino as they sound out potential options.
The 55-year-old Spaniard has a good reputation in his homeland, managing Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia since 2011.
He only took over at Bilbao in January of this year and won the Spanish Super Cup this season, beating Barcelona in the final. He has also lost the last two Copa del Rey finals with the Basque club.
It is claimed that, although Marcelino is under contract until 2022, clauses within his contract could allow him to leave for an affordable compensation fee this summer.
That could be in contrast to Tottenham’s preferred candidate, Julian Nagelsmann.
It is reported in German media that Nagelsmann, 33, has a release clause worth £17m in his contract at Leipzig – news which might deter Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
Spurs are also said to be keen on returning to a director of football model that has not been used since Franco Baldini left in 2015.
However, the likelihood of them attracting the highly-regarded German to work within this structure is thought to be low due to the vacancy at Bayern Munich this summer and the realistic chance of Spurs missing out on a place in next season’s Champions League.
Reports in Italy on Tuesday claimed Tottenham have also made an approach for ex-Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri. It was claimed Spurs have contacted his agent Fali Ramadani to offer the Italian the job from the beginning of next season.
Despite having been sacked by Juventus last August, Sarri is still under contract with the club until June 2022. But he is desperate to return to management having been dismissed by the Italian giants after a tumultuous spell at Stamford Bridge, too.
RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann is still the preferred choice to replace Mourinho
Tottenham are also said to be exploring the possibility of appointing Maurizio Sarri
Former Juventus and AC Milan boss Max Allegri is reportedly another candidate but has not yet been contacted while Belgium’s Roberto Martinez has been put forward by some intermediaries.
It is also claimed that Scott Parker has ‘won admirers at Tottenham’ for his work with Fulham this season.
Parker, who played for Spurs between 2011 and 2013, has impressed his former club with his style of play and willingness to use young players, even though Fulham look to be heading for relegation.
Ryan Mason has been named as Tottenham’s interim boss until a permanent coach is in place
Brendan Rodgers is also a firm favourite at Spurs but he only signed a new contract with Leicester in December 2019 and it is thought the Foxes would demand a huge compensation fee to let him go this summer.
Rodgers has also distanced himself from the Spurs job, saying on Tuesday: ‘It’s football, there is always speculation around, every job which comes up there will always be different managers speculated to go in.
‘Tottenham is a fantastic club, it’s a huge club but my focus is here. I’m at a world-class training facility, the project we’re in here we still want to develop and have a lot of work to do.
‘I have a great connection with the players, the board and we have plans to keep progressing.’
For now, Mason is in charge at Spurs and will oversee his first game on Wednesday night against Southampton. He then has the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday.