View: Tottenham blow as Julian Nagelsmann rejects manager’s job
Tottenham have been dealt a blow in their search for a new permanent manager after it was reported that Julian Nagelsmann has rejected the chance to manage in North London.
German newspaper BILD reported on 13 April that the former Bayern Munich manager, who was sacked by the Bundesliga giants on 24 March, wants to take a short break before returning to management.
Nagelsmann’s time as Bayern manager ended with a 71.4 per cent win-rate with only three other managers winning more points per Bundesliga game than him [90min].
Nagelsmann’s sacking at Bayern was certainly an unfair one.
He was dismissed while on holiday in Austria during the international break with his team only one point behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga title race.
Bayern are now top of the German league after beating Dortmund but they’ve also been knocked out of the DFP-Pokal by Freiburg and been hammered 3-0 by Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Nagelsmann’s stance on the job at Tottenham is a blow for Spurs.
At 35, he’s an extremely young manager and he’s already impressed in jobs at Hoffenheim – who he started managing at the age of 28 – RB Leipzig and Munich.
The former centre-back, who’s been dubbed as “Mini Mourinho” by former Hoffenheim goalkeeper Tim Wiese [Spiegel], has made quite the impression in his short career.
He won the 2021/22 Bundesliga title with Bayern and took Leipzig to the DFB-Pokal final the season before.
As per the Coaches’ Voice, Nagelsmann’s style of play is “to create chances through the middle of the pitch rather than out wide”.
He was a big fan of a high press in his time at Leipzig too. “Nagelsmann’s Leipzig side were successful in pressing with a lone striker supported by two attacking central midfielders, with the three of them aiming to force play into traps out wide,” the Coaches’ Voice adds.
Naglesmann is very much a modern-day manager too. He relies heavily on stats and data, experiments with technology and oversees high-intensity training sessions.
He switches between playing a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3 – two formations which would suit Spurs with the players they already have.
Daniel Levy’s tasked with fixing multiple issues at Tottenham right now with hiring a new manager surely at the top of his to-do list.
Fabio Paratici’s potential ban from the sport isn’t going to help but Nagelsmann does seem a bit of a no-brainer due to his track record and how well his style could suit the Lilywhites.
Unfortunately, his rejection is a blow. But if he wants a short break, there’s no reason why Tottenham cannot try again in the summer and get him on board ahead of pre-season training.
In other Tottenham news, Vincent Kompany could also be an option for Spurs.