Revealed: Manager hailed ‘exceptional’ by Jurgen Klopp very keen on landing Tottenham job – sources
Brendan Rodgers is interested in being the next Tottenham manager and is expected to be interviewed for the post, sources have told Football Insider.
The Londoners are carrying out an exhaustive managerial process as they spend the coming weeks working on securing a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte.
Rodgers, 50, is certainly of interest to Spurs chiefs and he is one of the frontrunners to take the post in the summer along with the likes of ex-boss Mauricio Pochettino and Spaniard Luis Enrique.
It is believed from sources with knowledge of the situation that Rodgers is very keen on taking over at Spurs and that includes working within the board’s budget limitations.
His track record of building teams and developing players, at Liverpool, Celtic, Leicester and Swansea, appeals to Tottenham given they can’t compete financially with the likes of Chelsea and Man City.
Moreover, his departure from the King Power Stadium rules out needing to pay a multi-million pound compensation clause, something Spurs are keen to avoid after shelling out tens of millions on such costs in recent years.
The northern Irishman is also said to have mellowed in recent years and he would not be confrontational with the board.
That would suit chairman Daniel Levy, still bruised from the chaos caused by Antonio Conte, who departed a week after an astonishing rant at the club’s players and hierarchy.
Rodgers has been admired for a long time by Levy, stretching back to his Swansea days a decade ago.
He is also widely respected on the Premier League managerial circuit and Jurgen Klopp has has hailed his “exceptional” work at Leicester and was “wowed” by the team built there before their recent drop-off.
The chances of Spurs landing ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann are receding amid whispers he has his eye on the Chelsea job.
Conte’s former assistant Cristian Stellini has been placed in caretaker charge for the remainder of the season with Ryan Mason as his number two.
Spurs remain well placed to finish in the Premier League top four and are just three points adrift of Newcastle and Man United, albeit having played one match more.
In other news, managerial big gun not in running for Tottenham job – ‘he won’t work with Levy’