Enzo Maresca is the 'surprise' name in 'pole position' to get the Tottenham Hotspur job despite links with Roberto De Zerbi, according to Italian outlet Sport Italia.
Spurs are looking for their sixth permanent manager since Mauricio Pochettino departed the club in 2019, with the Argentine one of the contenders to succeed Thomas Frank following his sacking on Wednesday.
The issue with bringing the popular Argentine back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is that he is unavailable until after the USA's 2026 World Cup campaign, according to GIVEMESPORT sources, which would take the north London club deep in the summer should America go far in the tournament.
It leaves Spurs considering other free agent options they could get sooner, of which Maresca is one.
Enzo Maresca Leading Race for Tottenham Job
According to Sport Italia, the Tottenham hierarchy are looking for a manager who is capable of revitalising their project, team and long-term ambitions following the exit of the underwhelming Frank.
While rumours have linked De Zerbi, who would be willing to speak to travel to London to speak to the club according to GIVEMESPORT sources, with the Spurs job following his sudden exit from Marseille this week, it is actually his Italian counterpart who is in pole position for the role.
Like De Zerbi, Maresca is a free agent following his own departure from Premier League rivals Chelsea last month, with GMS sources revealing that the 46-year-old manager was approached by Manchester City prior to leaving Stamford Bridge.
The work the Italian did in west London in terms of developing players and improving the team's collective performances and mentality is said to have impressed Tottenham decision-makers.
Spurs would hope that Maresca, described as 'incredible' by Pep Guradiola, could galvanise a squad that is clearly lacking in confidence and quality at the moment, not helped by the absence of many key first-team players through injury.
Maresca an Interesting Fit for Tottenham
While Maresca ultimately left Chelsea following disagreements behind the scenes, it's hard to fault the work he did during his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian delivered a Conference League and Club World Cup trophy for the Blues to show he is a winner who can back it up with silverware, while he also won the Championship title with Leicester City prior to joining Chelsea.
Maresca has the potential to help Tottenham build a long-term project too, because of his tactical philosophy, although there may be concerns over appointing him given he has no experience of leading a team in a relegation battle.