Tottenham have admitted they ‘lost their DNA’ in recent years and plan to hire an ‘attacking’ new manager.
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Spurs chairman Daniel Levy sent out an open letter to fans ahead of their final home game of the season against Aston Villa.
With reports that Harry Kane has requested to leave managerless Tottenham this summer, all is not well at their glistening $1.4 billion home in north London.
Here is what Levy had to say, as Spurs are battling to try and reach the Europa League in the final two games of the season.
What did Levy say?
“This season, for many reasons, we have not met our raised expectations on the pitch,” Levy said. “Everyone had high hopes with the squad we had assembled. Unfortunately, despite sitting top of the Premier League in December, we have not been able to sustain this position.”
“As a club we have been so focused on delivering the stadium and dealing with the impact of the pandemic, that I feel we lost sight of some key priorities and what’s truly in our DNA,” Levy said. “Our work in the community and with the NHS is an example of when we get it right, but we don’t get everything right. It has never been because we don’t care about or respect you, our fans - nothing could be further from the truth.”
On the hunt for a new manager, it is clear that Levy wants to hire a young, attack-minded coach to lead Tottenham back into the top four.
“We are acutely aware of the need to select someone whose values reflect those of our great club and return to playing football with the style for which we are known - free-flowing, attacking and entertaining - whilst continuing to embrace our desire to see young players flourish from our Academy alongside experienced talent,” Levy said.
Which managers stand out?
It would seem that a coach along the lines of Eddie Howe and Graham Potter would perhaps stand out as the best fit given Levy’s criteria.
Both play attractive, attacking soccer and have always put faith in young British talent.
After the failed Jose Mourinho experiment, it seems like Spurs will get back to their old model of putting faith, and time, in a young coach who can develop young players. Buying big name players coached by a big name manager just didn’t work for them.
Whether or not this approach will be enough to keep Kane, Heung-min Son and others around remains to be seen, but Levy has a plan. On paper, it is a good one. In practice, it will be far from easy.