Gary Lineker wants Tottenham to hire Enzo Maresca after what he learned about him at Leicester
Gary Lineker thinks that Tottenham should look to hire Enzo Maresca as their new manager after Thomas Frank was relieved of his duties.
Tottenham lost 2-1 to Newcastle on Tuesday night to drop to 16th in the Premier League and within five points of the relegation zone.
The defeat saw Thomas Frank sacked on Wednesday morning, after winning just seven of his 26 league matches in charge since moving from Brentford last summer.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has emerged as an early favourite to take over at Spurs as he prepares to leave Selhurst Park anyway at the end of the season.
Several other bosses, such as Roberto De Zerbi and Robbie Keane, are believed to be in the frame to be appointed soon, but former Tottenham star Lineker believes that Maresca is the man they should go for.
Gary Lineker heaps praise on Enzo Maresca and urges Spurs to hire him
Maresca was surprisingly sacked by Chelsea on New Year’s Day after 18 months in charge of the club, during which he won the Conference League and Club World Cup.
He had hinted at internal tension in the weeks leading up to his exit, with their form reflecting as such after a run of just two wins in his final nine games.
Sources told Football Insider last month that Maresca was on Spurs’ shortlist if Frank was to be sacked, and now that he has left, Lineker has urged his old club to approach the Italian boss.
Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of ‘The Rest Is Football’, he said: “Interestingly, for me, someone like (Enzo) Maresca is 20/1 with the bookies.
“I mean, if I were Tottenham, I’d very much look at him, even though he is former Chelsea and they don’t like that kind of stuff, the Tottenham fans, possibly.“
He later went on to add: “If it were me, I would try and get Maresca. I knew him at Leicester, he was a really good coach.
“(He) did really well, I thought, at Chelsea, for a long time. The first little tricky spell he had, he was fired.”
Who are the leading candidates for the Tottenham job?
Tottenham reportedly plan on appointing an external candidate to replace Frank with immediate effect, but it is unclear if they will bring someone in on a short-term basis until the end of the campaign, or hand them a long-term deal.
Former Brighton boss De Zerbi is the current favourite for the job with one of the UK’s leading bookmakers, at odds of 6/4, after he left Marseille on Tuesday.
First-team coach John Heitinga is also believed to be a contender at odds of 5/2, while Tottenham fans want Mauricio Pochettino to return, and he is priced at 13/2.
Former Spurs striker Keane comes in at 10/1 to take over next, while Ryan Mason is priced at 12/1 and Glasner and Marco Silva each come in at 16/1 odds to be Spurs’ next permanent boss.