Spurs face a fight to keep hold of Harry Kane this summer, so Daniel Levy must get his next managerial appointment spot on but emerging reports on one mooted target will come as a major concern…
What’s the word?
According to Il Messaggero (via Forza Roma), Spurs are one of three teams to open talks with departing AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca, who will be replaced by Jose Mourinho at the end of the current campaign.
The 48-year-old was confirmed to be leaving the Stadio Olympico a few weeks ago, with Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg and Portuguese outfit Benfica also said to be courting his services.
Although it is thought that Fonseca would like to remain in Italy if the opportunity arises.
Will Kane stay at Spurs this summer?
YES!
NO!
Bye-bye Kane?
In terms of potential successors to Mourinho in North London, this is as uninspiring as it gets – surely Daniel Levy doesn’t go from one calamity to the next?
It’s quite damning that the Portuguese boss will be replaced by Mourinho after a shocking end to his tenure at Spurs.
After serial success at Shakhtar Donetsk, Fonseca has struggled to make much of an impact in the Italian capital, failing to manage above a fifth-place finish and failing spectacularly in Europe.
His tactics and playing style drew serious praise from Pep Guardiola, he told reporters:
“Before every game against Shakhtar, I have the same feeling. The first time we face them in the group stage, my [scouting] team went to see them and they came back saying, ‘Wow.’ They were really impressed. In Barcelona all the time it was, ‘Shakhtar, Ukraine, who cares which players play, nobody knows them.’”
But he has failed to adapt with the step-up in quality from the Ukraine top-flight to the Serie A, so you would have to worry about his credentials in leading a Premier League outfit to glory, especially one without silverware since 2008.
That is something that Harry Kane desperately wants to achieve, and according to the Telegraph, he has told Spurs that he wants to leave the club in the summer.
Levy hiring Fonseca will do his chances of keeping his leading talisman no favours whatsoever.
Both Manchester clubs and Chelsea are mooted with interest in the Telegraph report, whilst The Times suggest Barcelona have already made contact.
All four teams are in a better position to achieve his dreams and the arrival of Fonseca won’t suddenly bolster Spurs’ claims.
The 48-year-old has also been described as an “exceptional” and “talented manager” who “plays stylish football” by Portuguese journalist Alex Goncalves, but it’s hard to imagine him having much of a success in North London, let alone in England.
An appointment like this would undoubtedly push Kane closer to he exit door, so Levy must avoid hiring Fonseca this summer.
AND in other news, Levy could secure Spurs their own Ramos by signing “formidable” £31.5m-rated “leader”…