A genuine Tottenham Hotspur legend has emerged as a contender to take on the interim manager role following the sacking of Thomas Frank, although reports have flagged up why alarm bells should be ringing over a potential appointment.
Spurs are on the hunt for their sixth permanent manager in seven years after axing the Dane on Wednesday, following a run of just two wins in 17 Premier League games that has left them embroiled in the relegation battle.
While the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Robbie Keane and Roberto De Zerbi are the frontrunners to take on the full-time job in the summer, despite the latter being available now after leaving Marseille, Tottenham are yet to announce who will take the interim reins.
Make no mistake about it, Spurs are genuine contenders to be relegated for the first time in the Premier League era, meaning whoever comes in has to have an immediate impact with a squad that is beset by massive injury issues and is very low on confidence.
Former boss Harry Redknapp has already said he would answer the call, but assistant coach John Heitinga is the man currently leading training sessions alongside another of Frank’s former assistants Justin Cochrane.
The fact that Tottenham have not yet announced an interim coach, when they could have appointed former Ajax boss Heitinga straight away, suggests they are looking at alternative options – and one of those is now being reported in The Sun.
They claim that legendary Spurs striker Jurgen Klinsmann is in the mix to take over the temporary reins, seemingly in a move to galvanise the club and a fanbase that is growing increasingly disconnected with the team.
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Klinsmann return concerns raised
The 61-year-old German is reported to be in the running despite being out of work since South Korea sacked him back in 2024.
He had two separate spells as a player at Tottenham, scoring 38 goals in just 68 games, but it was his impact at the club that earned him legendary status.
However, Klinsmann’s managerial career has not quite been as successful as his glittering playing one, having coached the German and USA national teams, along with stints at Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin.
Worryingly, though, those alarm bells are ringing from his most recent job at South Korea, where the German faced fierce criticism over his tactical shortcomings and attitude controversies.
The national team, captained by another Spurs legend in Son Heung-min, fell into a slump and Klinsmann was ultimately dismissed just 12 months into a role that should have led to him being in charge for the 2026 World Cup.
At the time, KFA President Chung Mong-gyu, said: “Coach Klinsmann failed to demonstrate leadership that we expected from the national team coach, including game management, player management and work attitude, which elevate the competitiveness of the national team.”
In October 2025, Klinsmann was linked with the Czech national team job, only for Czech local media to strongly oppose his appointment as they ultimately turned to Miroslav Koubek instead.
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