Rui Vitoria is the latest manager to slip through Tottenham Hotspur’s grasp, with O Jogo reporting that the Portuguese tactician is taking the Spartak Moscow job.
Daniel Levy is in no rush to bring in Jose Mourinho’s successor.
But with every day that goes by, Spurs’ lengthy list of managerial candidates appears to be growing shorter and shorter.
At this stage, we can scrub off Brendan Rodgers, Julian Nagelsmann, Jesse Marsch and Marcelino Garcia Toral. Erik Ten Hag, meanwhile, signed a new contract with Ajax just days after guiding the Dutch giants to another Eredivisie title.
While Rui Vitoria might have felt more like a left-field option rather than a leading candidate, the 51-year-old Iberian is about to remove his name from the frame too.
O Jogo reports that Vitoria is heading to Russia. Spartak Moscow are on the verge of hiring the former Benfica boss on an initial two-year deal, worth around £4 million-a-season.
Vitoria may not carry the reputation of a Rodgers, a Nagelsmann or even a Ten Hag – at least in England – but his CV speaks for itself.
After guiding Vitoria Guimaraes to their first trophy in 25 years in 2013, Vitoria then lifted six pieces of silverware during a stellar spell at Benfica before winning the league and cup double with Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr.
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