Tottenham to breathe sigh of relief at bullet dodged amid Sebastian Kehl latest

Tottenham Hotspur were rejected by former Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl last week.

Spurs would secure their Premier League safety at the back end of the 2025-26 season, with Roberto De Zerbi steadying the ship.

Following the dismal spells of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, the Lilywhites were left in disarray, leaving the incoming Italian with a lot of work to do.

Having left his role at Borussia Dortmund earlier this season, ex-BVB midfielder Kehl would reject the position of sporting director at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spending almost 25 years in various roles on and off the pitch at the Westfalenstadion, Kehl would have been someone to organise Spurs, though ambition would not have exactly been expected.

Now, as Tottenham look to rebuild De Zerbi's squad, they may have just dodged a bullet after the latest reveal surrounding the former Dortmund star.

Tottenham can watch on as controversial figure in line for new job

For too long, the North London club have been mismanaged both close to, and away from the pitch.

After De Zerbi's work to keep Spurs in the division, it cannot be overstated just how important the coming summer is.

Now, with Kehl rejecting a role at Spurs, Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport have revealed links between himself and AC Milan.

This comes after Eintracht Frankfurt board member for sport Markus Kroesche opted to remain at Deutsche Bank Park.

Milan, like Spurs, have not exactly been managed well over the years, and this could be the case once again with Kehl, who has a proven track record of problems with ambition, or what is a relative lack of.

As Tottenham look to rebuild following a dismal period, they may realise just how different things could have been, had a different path been followed.

Borussia Dortmund issues prove why Kehl would have been a bad appointment

As a club, BVB have never been one of Germany's 'giants', outside of their sensational fanbase.

But Kehl's years as a player were some of the golden years in the Ruhrpott, with Die Schwarzgelben winning the Bundesliga in 2002, 2011 and 2012, with the latter years under Jurgen Klopp laying the foundations for what has been the most consistent years in the club's history.

He would take the reins as sporting director in 2022, and the years since have been bitterly disappointing.

BVB would let the Bundesliga title slip out of their hands on the final day of the 2022-23 season, before Jude Bellingham moved on, just a year after the departure of Erling Haaland.

Players have moved on and have not been adequately replaced, as such is the model of recruiting to sell that has become commonplace at the club in recent years.

Alongside managing director Lars Ricken, Kehl would continue to take criticism.

He is a footballing person, and his experience, particularly within the German 50+1 model, would see him embed himself within the fanbase of any club.

But, too often, his ambition has come into question.

Having been unwilling to work with the amount of control handed to De Zerbi, he could be set to switch to a club in AC Milan, who have not strayed too far away from the chaos themselves since the turn of the millennium.