Harry Redknapp may find the England job is too good to refuse. Describing that role as “the ultimate” for a son of This Sceptred Isle does not mean his seemingly impending departure from Tottenham Hotspur will not be without a heavy heart. It does leave Spurs at something of a crossroads however and the route they take as Redknapp is elevated to the greatest job in this footballing land will very much shape the club’s future.
At this stage, it’s difficult to know who would be available come the end of the season, but based on every fan’s fair-weather friend, the bookmakers’ odds, here are some candidates to take over at Spurs:
David Moyes
- Odds: 7/2F
- Current club: Everton
- Honours: Old Second Division title (with Preston), FA Cup finalist
Closing in on a decade in charge at Goodison Park, this Glaswegian has somehow steered the Toffees to five successive top half finishes on nothing more than a shoestring budget. Only early on in his reign were Everton in real relegation danger, despite their traditional poor starts to campaigns.
Moyes once split England’s ‘Big Four’ of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal to bring Champions League football to the blue half of Merseyside. If the main asset Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will be looking for in a new man is Premier League experience, the Scot possesses the most of all those considered here.
The question remains will Moyes want to leave Everton after remaining so loyal to the club in an era where the hire and fire mentality has been in evidence everywhere except for at Arsenal and United? On the other hand, it must be a real struggle to consistently replicate a top ten place with the same core squad of players and the chance to work on a new project might be a welcome change from what could be called stagnation.
Jose Mourinho
- Odds: 5/1
- Current club: Real Madrid
- Honours: Two Champions League titles (Porto and Inter Milan), two domestic league trophies in Portugal, England and Italy, UEFA Cup, Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey
Everyone knows the Special One wants to return to the Premier League. The ex-Chelsea boss may well walk away from the Bernabeu at the end of this season as politics and poor attitudes from the players force him out. I find Real Madrid one of the most ungrateful clubs in the present day, consumed by an obsession with success and knocking Barcelona off their perch. Until they can establish a dynasty to do this, you feel nothing else is ever going to be good enough for them.
The British media and football fans love an enigmatic character and the romance they have with Mourinho is by no means over. Come back to where your charisma and talents are appreciated Special One! That is my plea. At Tottenham he would work with a number of gifted players that have already benefited from superb man management under Redknapp. That would be one area where Jose could bring continuity to White Hart Lane.
Guus Hiddink
- Odds: 15/2
- Current side: None
- Honours: European Cup, six Dutch league titles, FA Cup, fourth place at two World Cups and a European Championship with three different nations
The most experienced coach currently without a job. Managing teams since 1982, Dutchman Hiddink has been boss notably at PSV Eindhoven, Valencia, Real Madrid and most recently Chelsea where he steered the Blues to an FA Cup triumph over Moyes’s Everton during a caretaker stint. His preference for national jobs has been apparent in recent years.
Again Spurs would be getting a great motivator, a man who has got the best out of a group of players. His close friendship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich leaves him in pole position to reprise the Stamford Bridge hotseat for many when the next candidate I’m putting forward could well be sacked.
Andre Villas-Boas
- Odds: 9/1
- Current club: Chelsea
- Honours: Europa League, Portuguese league
AVB is under fire across London. Chelsea’s latest setback, a 2-0 away defeat at Goodison Park, let Arsenal go above them into the coveted fourth spot in the table. To put it plainly if the Blues do not finish in a Champions League place and can’t continue the dominance they have established in the FA Cup over recent seasons then the Portuguese protégé of Mourinho is going to be out of work.
Tottenham could give him a quick route back into management though. Criticisms have been easy to throw at this young coach, particularly the way he handles senior players who are a similar age if not older than him. It’s a learning curve. There are what you might call ‘safer choices’ available to Spurs, but one difficult, transitional season at Stamford Bridge shouldn’t put them off considering him if AVB is available.
Jurgen Klinsmann
- Odds: 11/1
- Current side: USA national team
- Honours: Third place at 2006 World Cup
A former Tottenham player who had something of a cult hero status during his two spells at White Hart Lane, the German is for me a wildcard. Klinsmann’s managerial experience largely comes from international level and it isn’t all that long since he was appointed as the United States’ head coach. Many Spurs fans are going to be less than pleased if/when Redknapp leaves and this appointment would certainly appease them.
Klinsmann has just one season’s worth of coaching at club level. That was an ill-fated campaign at Bayern Munich, another side where he is revered. There’d be little room for sentiment at Tottenham either you feel and his preference for living in the USA leaves the scenario of him managing anywhere else unlikely.
(Disclaimer: all prices quoted correct as of 11:00 GMT on February 13 2012, www.paddypower.com)
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