Betting Odds Update on Next Spurs Manager

It’s been a tumultuous week for English football clubs and none more so than for Tottenham Hotspur. Chairman, Daniel Levy, has seen his plans to participate in the European Super League kicked into touch after the scheme imploded yesterday in the face of concerted opposition across the board from fans, pundits, and politicians. Closer to home, Levy sacked his manager Jose Mourinho on Monday after a disappointing few months of results, including an embarrassing exit from the Europa League after defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the last-16 stage, which has seen Spurs slip to seventh in the Premier League table.

Timing is everything, or so the saying goes. So why get rid of Mourinho just days before Spurs are due to play Manchester City in the Final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday? Perhaps Levy knew that if the team won the first silverware for the club in thirteen years with the Portuguese still in charge, he would be that bit harder to sack.

Mourinho had been at Spurs since November 2019, replacing Mauricio Pochettino, and his deal had not been due to expire until 2023. His first few months at the club were largely successful and he took the club from fourteenth place in the Premier League when he took over to a sixth place finish by the end of the season, although the team were knocked out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig at the last-16 stage. In the current season, the team’s performances have been slipping over the past months and the defensive style of play has drawn criticism from fans, particularly as it has failed to deliver results. Spurs has dropped more points from winning positions this season than any other team in the Premier League. Add into the mix unrest within the team, and the potential loss of key players like Harry Kane in the absence of opportunities to win major titles and you see that trouble was indeed looming for Mourinho.

Levy acted decisively to sack Mourinho whilst there is still a chance to salvage the season. He issued a press release that courteously thanked Mourinho for his contribution to the club and has appointed Ryan Mason to replace him on an interim basis until the end of the season. Mason started at the Tottenham Hotspur Academy at the age of eight and then progressed to the senior side before being bought by Hull City in August 2016.

The 29-year old will be facing Pep Guardiola's Manchester City this weekend as well as fighting for a top-four finish in the League, a real baptism of fire for the young manager whose playing career was cut short after a horrendous brain injury suffered on the pitch four years ago. Following surgery that involved placing 14 metal plates and 28 screws in his skull, Mason was advised that he could no longer play football and, after a period of rehabilitation, he returned to Tottenham Hotspur as a member of the coaching team. Having been catapulted into his dream job, Mason has the Carabao Cup Final and six Premier League fixtures to prove his worth. But the bookmakers don’t hold out much hope that he will be appointed manager on a permanent basis, with bookie Paddy Power offering odds of 14/1.

The primary target of Levy’s efforts to secure a new manager is thought to be Julian Nagelsmann, 33-year old manager of RB Leipzig, and he is hot favourite for the post with the bookies, with odds of 7/2 from Unibet. RB Leipzig reached the Champions League semi-finals last year - making Nagelsmann the youngest manager to win a Champions League knock-out tie in the process - and the German team lies second in the Bundesliga this season. This season, however, Nagelsmann’s team was outplayed by Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 and failed to progress further. The former Augsburg player has in the past said “Spectators should go away from our games thinking “That was a nice game to watch’. I stand strongly for taking risks, seizing the initiative, playing with courage”. This attitude contrasts strongly with Mourinho’s more defensive stance and will resonate with players and fans alike. However, Nagelsmann is also in the running for the top managerial job in German football, as Hans Flick is soon to be moving from Bayern Munich to manage the German national side.

Brendan Rodgers is also fancied, with odds of 5/1 from BetVictor that the Leicester manager will be appointed manager of Spurs. 48-year old Rodgers has strong credentials for the job, having extensive management experience at Swansea, Liverpool and Celtic prior to his recent move to Leicester. But it is not certain that he would move to Spurs and back in November he made it clear that he plans to stay with the Foxes for the foreseeable future, saying “The game is full of gossip and speculation. The only thing I will say is that I am very happy here at Leicester, I’ve literally just joined the club in February”.

Eddie Howe is tipped for the job too, with odds of 10/1 from BetVictor making him third favourite.If you are thinking of having a bet or checking the latest odds, whichbookie has the latest bettingsites with sign up offers. Howe, the 43-year old former manager of AFC Bournemouth, would be a safe pair of hands for Spurs and he had considerable success with the Cherries, leading them to three promotions during his two stints at the club, before the team were relegated to the Championship last season. Howe is not currently working for a club so his availability could add to his chances of appointment.

Any candidate approached by Tottenham Hotspur in the next few days should be cautious as the reputational damage inflicted on the club is still to be assessed. In addition, it is thought that FIFA, Uefa and indeed the English Football Association may now be considering sanctions and penalties to be imposed on all six English clubs that had signed up for the European Super League.

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