Tottenham Hotspur Manager Shortlist: Gus Poyet

Continuing on in our Tottenham Hotspur Manager Shortlist, let's take a look at current Brighton Hove & Albion manager Gus Poyet.

Career Record: 66-40-37

Accomplishments: Poyet's main accolades came in 2010-11, where he had a dream season with Brighton in League 1. His Seagulls won the league, and Poyet was named League 1 manager of the year. Before that, Poyet won the 2008 League Cup as an assistant manager under Juande Ramos at Tottenham Hotspur.

Before he was a manager: Poyet had a brilliant playing career as an attacking midfielder. He first came on the scene with Real Zaragosa, where he played seven seasons. He came to Chelsea in 1997, where he played four seasons. He finished his career at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played from 2001-04. He was a mainstay of the Uruguayan national team as well, helping his nation win the 1995 Copa America.

Analysis: Poyet is undoubtably one of the rising managerial stars in English football. After steering a relegation-threatened Brighton team to safety in 2009-10, he had a dream season in 2010-11 winning the title. The step-up to The Championship loomed a challenge, but a promoted-Brighton side was able to finish 10th and firmly establish themselves in the league. After this season, of consolidation, Poyet seems to have shown the acumen of having Brighton pushing for a playoff position in 2012-13, if not outright promotion.

Poyet has shown a real eye for talent so far in his managerial career. He turned Ashley Barnes, a Plymouth Argyle afterthought, into one of the Championship's top strikers. He snapped up Liam Bridcutt from the Chelsea reserves, who has become a quality holding midfielder. Tactically, Poyet has favored a traditional 4-4-2, but he is flexible and has shown a consistent ability to adjust his tactics to deal with his opponents.

Gus's Tottenham-ties undoubtedly make him an attractive prospect to Tottenham Hotspur supporters. He certainly understands the culture of the club. Spurs have not had a manger with club ties since the days of Hoddle and Pleat. Poyet's mix of footballing culture should make him well-suited to deal with a squad as diverse as Tottenham's.

However, Poyet has only managed for a few years, and his experience for a job as big as Tottenham's would certainly be questionable. Poyet has yet to prove that he can manage at the highest level, and that may prove a fatal point to any approaches by Daniel Levy to hire Poyet. Poyet has a good thing going at Brighton, and seems in the position to have continued success. Tottenham Hotspur may well be in Poyet's future, once he has managed longer and accomplished more. But not yet.