As Tottenham Hotspur look forward to the Carabao Cup final in six days time, we look at the three candidates Spurs should consider to replace Mourinho, whilst highlighting their pros and cons if Daniel Levy was to appoint them.

Graham Potter

Pros

There is no better praise than Pep Guardiola labelling you the best English manager. After the sacking of Chris Houghton, many criticised the appointment of Potter after Hughton’s success during his five years at the club.

But Potter has integrated a style of play that is completely different to his predecessor that has won the Brighton fans over as they look set to secure Premier League safety for the fourth year in a row.

Cons

Whilst there are many plaudits for Potter, what cannot go unnoticed is the difference in their expected points compared to their actual points. Whilst this could be deemed as a lack of quality, Brighton should be comfortably sat in the top half of the Premier League but are instead languishing down in 16th place.

Pochettino was heavily praised for his style of play but football is a results business and that ultimately led to his sacking back in November 2020. Additionally, one of the biggest factors in hiring Mourinho was his ability to win trophies, something Spurs have not done since 2008. Whilst Potter has not had the opportunity to win any major trophies yet, this may be a factor that swings against Potter when Levy evaluates the best candidate.

Julian Nagelsmann 

Pros

At the age of just 33, Nagelsmann has achieved a lot within the game despite not winning any major silverware. After helping Hoffenheim to safety in 2016, he had a stunning second season by elevating them into the Champions League for the first time in their history. In 2019, he moved to RB Leipzig and took them to the semi-finals of the Champions League knocking out Mourinho’s Tottenham in the process: becoming the youngest manager in history to reach the semi-finals.

Cons

Like with Potter, Nagelsmann has yet to win a major honour despite being recognised as one of the best young managers in football. Additionally, it has been has been heavily rumoured that the German will take over at Bayern Munich in the summer after Hans-Dieter Flick announced his intentions to leave Bayern at the end of the season to become the German national team manager.

Rafael Benítez

Pros

With 11 major honours to his name, it is hard to argue against Rafa Benitez’s managerial record. The Spaniard has been out of a job since January after he left Dalian Professional after concerns over his family’s health over in China so he would surely be interested in the Tottenham job. Whether he would take it due to his Chelsea roots though is a different story. But it did not stop Andre Villas-Boas or Mourinho did it?

Cons

One of the main frustrations with Mourinho was with his style of play and that would be unlikely to change under the management of Benitez as that was one of the main reasons he was sacked at Real Madrid. Also, Benitez was heavily critical of Mike Ashley’s transfer dealing when he was at Newcastle. Back in 2019, Pochettino was heavily critical of Spurs’ transfer business after they went three windows without spending any money.

These are just three of the names being thrown out there with Ledley King, Jurgen Klinsmann and Massimiliano Allegri also being linked to the job. Or maybe if Mason impresses, he will get the job permanently. But let us know who you think will be the next Tottenham manager?

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