Tottenham are planning to open talks with Luis Enrique over their managerial vacancy next week after the Spaniard was interviewed by cross-London rivals Chelsea.
Former Spain and Barcelona boss Enrique, who has been unemployed since leaving his post as Spain’s head coach, was in London earlier this month to meet with Chelsea.
That was prior to Frank Lampard being appointed on a temporary basis, with Chelsea reluctantly admitting that their top targets are willing to wait until the summer to take over.
Enrique is high on the Blues’ shortlist, having won two La Liga titles, the Champions League and three Copa del Rey titles with Barcelona between 2014 and 2017.
However, Julian Nagelsmann is another significant target, and both Chelsea and Tottenham are well aware of each other’s desperate need for a new manager.
In terms of targets, there is a lot of overlap between the two clubs who are searching in the same market for a manager, with Mauricio Pochettino being one of them.
However, the Telegraph reports that Spurs will talk with Enrique next week to assess his potential for a move to north London and to determine the status of any deal with Chelsea.
Antonio Conte was fired during the international break after his controversial interview about the club, players and Daniel Levy following a frustrating 3-3 draw against Southampton.
His assistant, Cristian Stellini was placed in charge until the end of the season, but Spurs’ top four hopes have been dented with dropped points against Everton and Bournemouth since he took over.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, who guided the Clarets to promotion back to the Premier League last week and is establishing himself as one of the game’s top young managers, is also on Spurs’ shortlist.
As is Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot who is currently closing in on the Eredivisie title and preparing for Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final decider against Jose Mourinho’s Roma, boasting a 1-0 lead from the first-leg.
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