Tottenham next manager: Spurs ‘scared off’ by Andoni Iraola as ‘secret’ exposed
Andoni Iraola is a top candidate to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, but red flags are creeping up.
Postecoglou is under immense pressure at Spurs, as the North London giants sit 16th in the Premier League with six games left to play.
The former Celtic manager faces the sack as the Tottenham boss if he does not lead them to UEFA Europa League glory, as they prepare to face Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals next month.
Daniel Levy is already preparing for life after Postecoglou, having drawn up a list of potential replacements, which includes Bournemouth’s Iraola.
Iraola ‘scares off’ Tottenham
There have been suggestions that Iraola would be open to leaving Bournemouth to take the reins at Spurs if they came calling this summer.
However, it recently emerged that the Spanish tactician could put pen to paper on a new deal with the Cherries to extend his stay at the Vitality Stadium.
Amidst all this, Bournemouth’s abysmal run of form appears to be going under the radar, with Iraola’s side managing just one win in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Points | Points Per Match |
| 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 66:49 | 58 | 1.53 |
Assessing Iraola’s weaknesses, Daniel Storey pointed out that Bournemouth tend to claim more points when their opponents dominate possession as opposed to when they do.
The journalist feels this raises doubts over the Spaniard’s credentials to manage a top-six team and will scare Tottenham off.
“Iraola’s weakness has been exposed – and it will be scaring Tottenham off”, Storey wrote in his column on The i website (21 April).
“Is the Bournemouth manager ready for a ‘big six’ job? The jury is still out on that one.”
The i reporter added that Iraola might be better off staying at Bournemouth for the time being instead of joining Spurs already.
“Last week The i Paper reported that he may well sign a new contract to stay at Bournemouth next season despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur”, he added.
“That might allow him to work on improving his ability to create a style that works when given the impetus to break down deeper-lying opponents. The weakness is no longer a secret.”
Spurs to turn away from Iraola
Storey makes a valid point about Iraola’s ‘secret’ being exposed.
You are more likely to dominate possession over your opponents as a big-six team, and the former Rayo Vallecano manager’s record in that regard is concerning.
That is why Levy might indeed be ‘scared off’ by the prospect of hiring the 42-year-old as Postecoglou’s replacement if the Greek-Australian manager is sacked.