From Amsterdam to Tottenham? Desperate Spurs pursue another Ten Hag swoop
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 06.06.21. | 16:49
Their next managerial appointment has to be spot on
Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag has again emerged as a candidate for Tottenham Hotspur’s vacant manager spot. Spurs have failed in attracting Italian mastermind Antonio Conte to North London and are forced to look elsewhere. It’s not the first time that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has turned his attention to the Dutchman.
Ten Hag was among the original candidates sought out by Levy and director of technical performance Steve Hitchen following Jose Mourinho’s departure and was an early favourite for the job. However, Ajax triggered a contract extension clause at the end of April and that looked to have killed off any hopes Spurs had of getting him out of Amsterdam.
????[@SunSport] | Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is plotting a return raid on Ajax to make Erik ten Hag his next manager at Tottenham Hotspur.
— Last Word On Spurs???? (@LastWordOnSpurs) June 6, 2021
????????Ten Hag, 51, has only recently signed a new deal with Dutch champions Ajax but that is not considered a deal-breaker by Levy.#THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/bTISeRKRrN
After it became clear that Tottenham’s bid to land former Inter Milan and Chelsea manager Conte was not viable from either side, though, Ten Hag, who won the Double in Holland last season, has returned to the frame. And Spurs will now see if a deal can be done to get the Dutchman in this month.
Any hopes Spurs had of getting Mauricio Pochettino back appear to be all but dead with Paris Saint-Germain adamant they will not release him from a contract that still has a year to run and then an option of a further year in the club’s favour. While Roberto Martinez is understood to have had a conversation with Spurs but will not talk to them in any great depth until Belgium’s involvement in this summer’s European Championship is over.
.jpg)
Ten Hag has long been admired by those in the corridors of power at Tottenham. They were particularly impressed with the way Ajax played when the two sides contested those two legs of their epic Champions League semi-final in 2019.
Conte, who won the Premier League with Chelsea and Serie A with Inter Milan, to go with his three Series A titles at Juventus, spoke at length with Spurs last week. But it became clear on Friday that he wanted significant funds to build his team on and off the pitch and Levy wasn’t willing to put any more pressure than is necessary on the club’s already straining finances.
