For the third time in two years, the staff at Cartilage Free Captain are putting together a series called the Tottenham Hotspur Manager Shortlist. We got to do this in the summer of 2012 when Harry Redknapp was let go by the club, then again this winter when Andre Villas-Boas was sacked. Ultimately, Tim Sherwood was appointed as a glorified caretaker, so Spurs are searching for a manager again.
A few of the profiles we did back in December are going to be reheated. Frank de Boer and Mauricio Pochettino, in particular, are now big favorites for the job. Neither was interested in leaving their current post mid-season, but they both pretty obviously want the job now that they get to exit their jobs respectably and enter Tottenham as both a savior and someone who has an entire transfer window and preseason to work with.
Those are the two most likely candidates and, therefore, will be profiled early. But we're going to dive a little deeper, as we always do, since there's no reason to assume they're the only two guys Daniel Levy is looking at. It wouldn't be terribly surprising to see Levy glance at someone we haven't even considered.
We watch German, Spanish, French, Dutch and Italian football so you don't have to, and we're going to make sure you're very properly informed about whoever we hire. But before we get there, we also have to introduce two guys who we are not going to profile in this series.
The dream scenario - Diego Simeone or Jürgen Klopp
If you doubt whether or not Diego Simeone or Jürgen Klopp could be successful at Spurs, or in the Premier League in general, I think you're probably nuts. They're the two best young managers in the world and they've proven that they can compete with teams that have much larger budgets. They have worked with world class talent, but also been forced to sell their best players.
We're going to avoid profiling them because there are no drawbacks. In the highly unlikely event that Spurs are able to attract either of these guys, it's a perfect hire. Daniel Levy should be showered with praise and no questions should be asked about whether or not he got the right guy. If he gets either of them, he absolutely, 100 percent got the right guy, because these two should be candidates 1a and 1b for literally any job in football. They are the best of the best.
And, of course, that is why we won't get them. They're already at clubs that are a little bigger than Spurs. They'll be playing Champions League next season. The draw of England isn't likely to get them away from their current posts, even with Robert Lewandowski leaving Klopp and Diego Costa leaving Simeone. They can wait for Real Madrid or Barcelona to come calling. They can wait for Arsene Wenger to retire or for Pep Guardiola to fall on his face. They don't have to settle for Spurs.
As much as we love our club, coming to us would constitute settling for either boss. With that, we'll move on to more realistic candidates. First up, David Moyes.