Tottenham considered making a surprise move to re-appoint former manager Ange Postecoglou, before bringing Roberto De Zerbi to north London, according to reliable reporter Alasdair Gold.
Spurs were in the market for a new manager last month after Igor Tudor left the club following a disappointing few weeks in charge.
Tottenham are battling to stay in the Premier League and were forced to take action after Tudor failed to make an impact, with De Zerbi brought in on a five-year deal.
The market for managers was difficult at the time of Tudor’s sacking, with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Oliver Glasner, who may have ended up on Spurs’ shortlist, not available until the summer.
Tottenham Considered Surprise De Zerbi Alternative
Speaking on his YouTube channel, reliable journalist Gold has been discussing Tottenham’s pursuit of a new manager, and how they ended up bringing in De Zerbi.
Gold has suggested that he’s been told Spurs did consider the prospect of reappointing Postecoglou, albeit very briefly.
“They did look at other short-term options as well. I am told that they, very briefly, did consider a short-term return for Ange Postecoglou and when I say brief, I mean literally, that really shouldn't be made into anything more than that.
"I think it was something that they thought about. Would it even be doable? And as I always go back to what I said previously about that, if you're an organisation and you've just paid someone a huge amount of compensation, you're probably not to look to bring them straight back in and give them another job with more money.”
It would have certainly been a controversial and surprise appointment if Spurs had brought Postecoglou back to north London, and it perhaps shows the difficulties Tottenham had in terms of finding a new manager.
Tottenham Made the Right Decision
Looking back in hindsight at the end of the season, appointing De Zerbi might turn out to be a mistake, but it’s a risk Spurs needed to take.
Bringing Postecoglou back to the club wouldn’t have been a smart move, with the Australian manager proving with Nottingham Forest that he struggles with a side competing near the bottom of the Premier League table.
De Zerbi will need time for the players to adapt to his demands and style, but Spurs will be hoping he can make enough of an impact to win a handful of games, before being given time to fully implement his system in the summer.