Levy makes “genius” coach Spurs’ top target

Fair to say it’s been an eventful season for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, but it could have the happiest of endings.

Spurs have lost 19 Premier League matches this season to date, one more would be their most in a single campaign since 1935, thereby languishing 16th in the table.

However, on Thursday night, the Lilywhites overcame Bodø/Glimt in the Arctic Circle, so will now face Manchester United in the Europa League Final at San Mamés on 21 May.

Thus, Ange Postecoglou is potentially 90 minutes away from delivering Tottenham’s first trophy since 2008 and Champions League qualification, but Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport believes the Aussie could still be sacked, even if his team triumph in Bilbao.

So, who does Daniel Levy have in mind as a potential successor, and could his dream candidate be a José Mourinho repeat?

Tottenham’s top target to replace Postecoglou

According to a report by Gianluca Di Marzio, Fulham manager Marco Silva is top of Levy’s list to become the new Spurs boss this summer, adding that the 47-year-old is ‘very popular’ amongst the Tottenham hierarchy.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

As outlined by Dave Tickner of Football 365, there are numerous other candidates in the fray for this post, including Mauricio Pochettino, Kieran McKenna and Scott Parker, as well as Andoni Iraola, who, as noted by Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jay Harris of the Athletic, was the ‘leading candidate’ to get the job.

However, George Flood of the Evening Standard believes Spurs would face a ‘tough battle’ to ‘coax’ the Spaniard away from Bournemouth, hence why Silva now appears to be the front-runner.

So, would the Portuguese be a success in North London, or would he fare similarly to his compatriot who recently occupied the Hotspur hot seat?

Why Marco Silva would be a good fit for Tottenham

If ever a manager has burst onto the scene, Micah Richards style, it’s Marco Silva, first coming to the attention of a Premier League-watching audience in 2017 when he was appointed Hull City manager.

At the time, the Tigers were rock-bottom of the division, having won just one of the previous 18 games and, as outlined by Aaron Barton of Opta’s the Analyst, while he failed to keep Hull up, six wins from nine home games, most-notably beating Liverpool 2-0, caught the eye of others.

So, let’s assess Silva’s managerial career so far.

As the table outlines, after bouncing around Hull, Watford and Everton, Silva has really found a home in West London, winning the Championship title in 2022, on course to lead Fulham to a third successive mid-table finish, currently knocking on the door of European qualification.

For his work at Craven Cottage, Dean Jones of GiveMeSport has labelled Silva a “genius”, while Mak Pakhei of Total Football Analysis praises his tactical adaptability and flexibility, which allows Fulham to compete against the Premier League’s elite, doing so ‘without heavy investment’.

Meantime, as outlined by Nick Wright of Sky Sports, Silva and the aforementioned Mourinho are ‘old friends’, with the Fulham boss thanking his compatriot for changing how Portuguese coaches are viewed abroad.

Silva has previously been dubbed the ‘new Mourinho’, but their styles are very different, with Silva’s teams more attacking, proactive and on the front-foot.

Well, of course, lest we forget, Mourinho was Spurs manager for a period of time, but supporters would hope Silva’s potential tenure would go rather better, with Jack Pitt-Brooke of the Athletic outlining how José’s ‘defensive tactics…reactive training and repeated public criticism of the players’ in the media resulted in his downfall.

Despite the lazy, nationality-driven comparisons, Silva and Mourinho are very different coaches, and the current Fulham boss appears to have all the attributes to be a success at Spurs, potentially in charge of them for a Champions League campaign come September.

Related

Bigger talent than Huijsen: Spurs’ “crazy” teen is a “monster of a CB”

The sensational gem could be a superstar for Spurs.