Van Gaal drops Spurs management hint

There's more news on the Tottenham Hotspur managerial front this morning. The Guardian is reporting that current Netherlands national team manager Louis van Gaal has dropped a hint linking himself to the Spurs managerial role this summer.

Van Gaal is looking for a new job, as his contract with the Netherlands expires after this summer's World Cup. He's been linked with the Tottenham Hotspur manager job ever since Andre Villas-Boas was fired, though obviously there's no way he'd accept it before the trip to Brazil this summer. He acknowledged in quotes to The Guardian that Spurs have at the very minimum shown interest in his services after his stint with the Netherlands has concluded. Emphasis mine:

"I will definitely not be in charge [of the Netherlands] for the Euro 2016 qualification campaign. I don't know where I will go next. Normally I go with my pension, and go to live in Portugal [where he owns a property], but maybe there will come a new challenge. I have said before that a challenge should be a club in the Premier League. That's a challenge. Maybe Tottenham are coming but, first, we have to go to Brazil."

Van Gaal is a manager with a continental reputation, and he has had managerial stints at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Ajax. He's known for advocating fast-paced, creative, attacking football in the "total football" Dutch style, something that should help appease Spurs supporters still reeling from the Villas-Boas era. He's a big name in managerial circles, and obviously wants to manage in the Premier League. Tottenham seems to be the best destination if that's the case, barring a sudden David Moyes sacking.

It's not good to get too far ahead of ourselves here – Van Gaal is still with the Netherlands, Tim Sherwood is still the manager at Spurs. But it's not too hard to connect the dots here, and if nothing else this shows that there is at bare minimum reciprocal interest between Tottenham and van Gaal. A Van Gaal appointment might help stave off player defections if Spurs don't make the Champions League and he would also bring an outstanding football pedigree. He sure seems like he'd be a good fit at Spurs. Let's see where this leads.