New ‘favourite’ for Tottenham job revealed as Spurs ‘risk missing out’ on Pochettino | OneFootball

Tottenham could miss out on Mauricio Pochettino to Spanish side Real Madrid if they don’t act soon, according to reports.

Widespread reports indicate that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will sack Antonio Conte at some point over the international break ‘with internal discussions over the terms of his exit now underway’.

It comes after Conte’s outburst following their 3-3 draw against Southampton on Saturday with the Italian criticising his “selfish” players and the Tottenham board for the culture at the club.

Spurs managed to throw away a two-goal lead towards the end of the match against the Saints with goals from Theo Walcott and James Ward-Prowse earning Ruben Selles’ side a draw.

Tottenham still sit fourth in the Premier League table but fifth-placed Newcastle United are only two points behind with two games in hand on Conte’s men.

And there are now reports Levy is lining up Ryan Mason to take over as interim boss until they find an appropriate long-term replacement for Conte.

The Times claims that Tottenham ‘risk missing out’ on former manager Pochettino ‘with the Argentine manager high up on Real Madrid’s shortlist if Carlo Ancelotti leaves the Spanish club this summer’.

Tottenham ‘are discussing potential replacements for Conte but could face a battle for Pochettino in the summer’ but Spurs ‘would prefer to find a permanent replacement for Conte immediately, with Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Thomas Tuchel all out of work’.

Bayern Munich, PSG, Juventus and Inter Milan could all need new managers in the summer and The Times adds that Tottenham’s search could be ‘disrupted’ because of that.

And the Daily Record insist that Brentford manager Thomas Frank is believed ‘to be Levy’s early Tottenham favourite’ to replace Conte in north London.

The news eases Celtic’s ‘fears over Ange Postecoglou’s long-term future’ despite claims Levy is ‘considering an alternative approach’ after his record of ‘appointing proven winners’.

Levy will instead favour a ‘project’ manager Frank, Postecoglou or Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi understood to be in the frame.

Dejan Kulusevski was one of the first players to respond to Conte’s criticism of his Tottenham side with the Sweden international ready to “respect his words”.

When asked if he was offended by the criticism from Conte, Kulusevski replied: “No, because I know what I bring to the team every day, I know that I prepare myself to do as good as I can. That’s why I can always look at myself in the mirror, you know?

“Sometimes I know I don’t play good enough and I can take responsibility for that but what he said, it’s for him, that’s his word. But I respect him, he helped me a lot during my career so he’s still a very important man in our club and in my world.

“He was very disappointed as are the players, we have to accept that. We lost [in] all the cups, we went out in Champions League also [at the round-of-16 stage], so I know that sometimes we have to be sad and angry. That’s how he took it, somebody else would take it another way. We have to respect his words.”