Tottenham Hotspur's managerial search is expected to extend into the summer but one name appeals more than most…
Latest Tottenham manager news – Who is in the frame?
After the departure of Antonio Conte from Hotspur Way, his assistant Cristian Stellini, alongside former midfielder Ryan Mason, were appointed as the two to see Spurs out until the end of the season.
Off the pitch, the north London outfit continues to be linked to a whole host of names, ranging from Julian Nagelsmann, who was surprisingly sacked from Bayern Munich in favour of Thomas Tuchel, to Burnley's up-and-coming head coach – Vincent Kompany, who is taking the Championship by storm.
Others such as Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner and Napoli's Luciano Spalletti have gained traction in recent days yet none seem better than the potential of having Feyenoord's Arne Slot in charge, given he's on the verge of clinching a historic Eredivisie title ahead of Dutch heavyweights Ajax.
According to newspaper De Telegraaf, the 44-year-old remains a candidate to take over from the departed Italian but it'll take a record-breaking amount to De Stadionclub, which is thought to be in excess of €5m (£4.4m) – a similar amount to what FC Barcelona paid the Oranje for Ronald Koeman in 2020.
Who is Arne Slot?
Amid his links with the vacant managerial role at Spurs, Slot has received high praise from those in and around the game, leaning towards him being quite an exciting appointment and perhaps one more attainable than someone like Nagelsmann.
Reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold recently made some pretty encouraging comparisons to one of Spurs' more successful appointments over the last decade or so, as he told his podcast:
"The more I read about him I do quite like the idea of Arne Slot. He sounds like Pochettino, he sounds like a Pochettino in the making."
Since Mauricio Pochettino left north London in November 2019, the Lilywhites faithful have been bestowed with a negative, and often dull, brand of football, such is the case when you opt for managers like Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte.
Of course, two of the three have won gleaming honours elsewhere but have done so the 'old-school' way.
Slot would be a drastic shake-up on what has been served up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in recent seasons. He's got his Feyenoord side competing with the very best – having reached the Europa Conference League final in its inaugural season, the Dutch outfit are now leading the Eredivisie by eight points.
With an attack-minded 4-3-3 as his favoured system, the Bergentheim-born manager has accrued an impressive 63% win percentage in Rotterdam.
"The best thing about Arne Slot is that he is probably the best attacking coach I have seen in the last 35-40 years at Feyenoord," claimed journalist Marcel van der Kraan to talkSPORT.
"He is very similar to Pep Guardiola, his ideas are very similar, he is a massive fan of Pep and he plays the same time.
"He goes ultra-attacking, he is almost like a maniac. Not on the touchline but it is fantastic to see how he has turned an average side into a wonderful attacking machine."
That sort of review should be music to the ears of many supporters around N17 and only bolsters the suggestion that he could be a Pochettino 2.0. It also means that Levy cannot afford to let him slip through his grasp as sooner or later, a rival team will take a punt on him – after all, he was in contention to replace Jesse Marsch at Leeds United not too long ago, whilst Chelsea have also been mooted since the departure of Graham Potter.
Whilst Slot would certainly be a risky appointment, given the fact he is yet to manage outside of his home country, his philosophy and proven results on the pitch are surely enough to justify such a punt and at the very least, he would bring some happiness back to these parts – just as Pochettino did.