Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has emerged as a possible target for Tottenham as Daniel Levy begins his search to replace Antonio Conte.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy decided to end Conte’s tenure as manager late on Sunday evening, just over a week after his now-famous rant during his post-match press conference following the 3-3 draw away at Southampton. The Italian took shots at everyone, from the players to the club as a whole, with an apparent dig at Levy contributing to his departure.
According to Sky Italia, Zidane has been tipped as a shock replacement. The Frenchman is notoriously picky about which jobs he takes, which explains why he has been unemployed since leaving Real Madrid.
Tottenham are not the first Premier League club he has been linked with in that time, though his reasons for rejecting the Manchester United job at the end of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign mean it would be a surprise if he ends up in north London.
Last summer, Zidane admitted that he chose not to take over at Old Trafford because he needed to fully understand the English language before managing in the Premier League.
“Would I like to visit Manchester [United]? I understand English, but I’m not fluent in it “According to L’Equipe, the four-time Champions League winner.
“I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work in a different way. Many elements come into play in order to win, it is a global context. I know what I need to win.”
If I go to a club, it is to win. I say this with all modesty. That’s why I can’t go anywhere.”
Zidane’s final remark may be the most notable when it comes to the links with the Spurs vacancy. The Frenchman has said himself that winning is at the forefront of every decision he makes, so Conte’s recent remarks surrounding the culture at the club could deter Zidane.
Conte stated following the disappointing draw at St. Mary’s: “In my experience, if you want to be competitive, if you want to fight, you must improve this aspect.
Zidane has only ever managed one club during his managerial career. In comments that will be unwelcome reading for both the Spurs fanbase and Levy, he also admitted that there are only ‘two or three possibilities’ for which clubs he’d agree to manage.
“Never say never, especially as a coach today,” Zidane confessed. “When I was a player, I had access to almost all of the clubs. There aren’t fifty clubs where I can go, Coach.
“And this aspect, I can tell you, in this moment is really, really low. And I see only 11 players that play for themselves. They are used to it here They don’t play for something important.
“They don’t want to play under pressure or in stressful situations. I stated that I wanted to see the fire, which I have not seen. It is unique.”
If Zidane rejects Spurs’ advances, all indications point to Julian Nagelsmann as Levy’s preferred candidate for the job. However, there is a stumbling block in that pursuit.
Nagelsmann was only fired as Bayern Munich manager last Friday and is said to want to take a break before deciding his next move, whereas Levy is eager to begin negotiations as soon as possible.
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