TOTTENHAM could pick from a wealth of experienced candidates vying to replace Mauricio Pochettino – including Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.
The Argentine has ambitions to manage one of the continent’s top clubs with it increasingly apparent he has taken Spurs as far as he can.
But chairman Daniel Levy is highly reluctant to sack Pochettino with £12.5million owed in compensation if he is pushed.
Therefore it is more likely that the manager will jump first and try his luck elsewhere.
Pochettino was furious that Tottenham failed to make a convincing bid for Philippe Coutinho in the summer and he has watched star playmaker Christian Eriksen go off the boil amid the Dane’s contract wrangle.
Even though Spurs are stuck in 14th place, there is a sense that the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Manchester United are still all keen on the Argentine.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer himself is under intense pressure at Old Trafford while Bayern have already sacked the struggling Niko Kovac.
Spurs are therefore already looking past Poch, according to reports.
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann leads a four-man shortlist said to be drawn up by the north London club.
Mourinho and Ancelotti are also on their radar, as is Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe.
The latest odds make three-time Premier League and two-time Champions League winner Mourinho the 5/2 favourite.
Napoli coach Ancelotti, currently embroiled in a feud between the squad, fans and owner, is at 4/1 with Ladbrokes.
And, at 7/1 alongside Nagelsmann, Brendan Rodgers would represent a huge coup given Leicester’s success and a potential rival bid for Arsenal.
Further out are Gareth Southgate, Massimiliano Allegri and Rafa Benitez with the Spaniard currently on a big contract at China’s Dalian Yifang.
Tottenham would be crazy to sack Pochettino despite form slump, insists ex-boss Harry Redknapp
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
