Spurs could hire Ange upgrade who's "one of the most influential managers"

Tottenham Hotspur went into last weekend on something of an increasingly rare high.

For everything else that has gone wrong this season, the North Londoners had just secured their place in the Europa League Final, and therefore the chance to make this campaign a memorable one.

Unfortunately, the little positivity there among the crowd quickly disappeared as Ange Postecoglou oversaw yet another dismal showing in the Premier League, which ultimately ended in the club picking up their 20th league defeat in the competition.

Unsurprisingly, then, reports have continued to emerge linking the club with a host of new managers, including one who’s got Champions League experience and would be a massive upgrade on Postecoglou.

Tottenham’s manager search

With the domestic campaign being as much of a disaster as it has this year, it’s hardly been a surprise that, in recent weeks anyway, there has been an avalanche of reports linking the club to a plethora of top managers, like Marco Silva and Simone Inzaghi.

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Since taking charge of Fulham in 2021, the former has helped transform the Cottagers from a Championship side who’d come up and go straight back down on a regular basis into a comfortable mid-table side.

However, with little to no experience in managing a truly big club, the spotlight in North London could be a little too bright for the Portuguese coach.

In contrast, Inzaghi would be an incredible appointment down to his brilliant record with Lazio and Inter Milan, but due to the incredible work he’s done at the San Siro, it feels like hiring him is nothing more than a pipe dream.

So, this need to strike a balance between attainable and exciting might help explain the links to Roberto De Zerbi that have popped up in recent weeks.

For example, it was reported late last month that the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss is someone appreciated by many at Spurs, and then only last week, talkSPORT revealed that he’d be open to returning to the Premier League this summer.

It could be a complicated deal to get done, but one thing is certain: he’d be a significant upgrade on Postecoglou.

How De Zerbi compares to Postecoglou

So, if Spurs are able to convince the Italian coach that they’re the perfect club for him to take charge of ahead of next season, why would he do a better job than Postecoglou?

Well, the first thing to look at is their respective records in English football, as while the Australian has a marginally better one, it should be far greater given the size of Tottenham compared to Brighton and the nature of the latter constantly losing their biggest talents.

For example, the former Celtic manager has managed 98 games in England, of which his side has won 46, drawn 14 and lost 38, which comes out to a points-per-game average of 1.55 – a number seriously helped by the ten-game-winning streak from the start of last season.

In contrast, the former Sassuolo boss managed to win 38 of his 89 games in charge of the Seagulls, drawing 20 and losing 31, which comes out to a points-per-game average of 1.51.

However, since moving to Marseille, the “genius” tactician, as dubbed by analyst Statman Dave, has overseen 20 wins, five losses and 10 defeats, which comes out to a far more impressive point-per-game average of 1.86.

Moreover, the fact he’s managed at a club as massive and intense as the French giants is another big plus; if he’s been able to cope with the pressures on the French Riviera, he’d be fine in North London – which hasn’t been the case for Postecoglou this year.

Finally, on top of doing well in France, the 45-year-old is often credited with being something of an innovator, with Pep Guardiola, of all people, describing him as “one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.”

Ultimately, it now feels like there is no future for Ange at Spurs, and while he might not be as big a name as some would like, De Zerbi is the perfect combination of gettable, exciting and capable of handling big clubs.

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