Tottenham told to seal Gareth Southgate appointment amid new manager latest: ‘He’s ready to go’
Darren Bent has urged his former club Tottenham to appoint Gareth Southgate as their new manager.
Enzo Maresca and Mauricio Pochettino are seemingly in the frame for the job, while John Heitinga is an option on an interim basis, but Bent believes that his former club have the ideal solution available to them in the former England boss.
The Lilywhites finally opted to sack Thomas Frank after their 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle on Tuesday night, and they are now searching for a manager who can come and turn their form around.
Tottenham are now just five points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone, and Bent feels that Southgate would be the ideal candidate to come in and immediately quell any fears of a catastrophic relegation.
Darren Bent identifies one issue behind Gareth Southgate to Tottenham
Southgate has been linked with the vacant Leicester City job of late, while he also appears to be in the frame to replace Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace.
However, Bent has now told Spurs to launch a move to appoint him as quickly as possible, given the options that are currently available to them midway through the season.
The 42-year-old suggested that Southgate would be a good fit for the vacant Tottenham role during his talkSPORT show with Andy Goldstein on Wednesday, but he also pointed out one potential issue.
Southgate worked with Steve Holland as his assistant during their time together at the helmof the national team, but his trusted coach is now working as part of Michael Carrick’s staff at Manchester United.
“I think he (Southgate) is the one,” the former Spurs striker said, while being asked about possible candidates for the role.
“In terms of stabilising the club, getting them to a point where they’ve got solid foundations, Southgate may be the best out there that they can get. He’s there and available, ready to go.”
“Steve Holland and Southgate together are brilliant. I’ve never worked with Holland but he’s a brilliant coach. He’s at United with Carrick, so he’s not going to Tottenham.
“That’s the problem they’ve got.”
What has Southgate said about a return to club management?
Southgate has been linked with several Premier League jobs already this season, but he has eluded every potential suitor so far in terms of an appointment.
It may prove to be no different for Spurs either if they did decide to pursue a move for him, as his previous comments back in November suggested that he is enjoying his time away from the game.
Southgate revealed back in November that he was not planning a swift return to management, due to fears that he wouldn’t be able to replicate the “higher calling” that he had as England boss, according to The Guardian.
Instead, he suggested that he was gaining satisfaction out of finding other ways to “make a difference,” having spent the last 37 years in a footballing environment.
While it is certainly possible that his stance could have drastically changed since November, those comments were not those of a man who has been itching to return to management.
With that in mind, Tottenham will surely see any attempt to bring him in swiftly halted in its tracks, just like others have seen before.