Tottenham Hotspur strongly looked at appointing Erik ten Hag last summer; now the Ajax boss could end up becoming Manchester United boss.
Tottenham were seemingly seeking an attack-minded manager after parting ways with Jose Mourinho.
Daniel Levy even publicly claimed that he wanted a manager to bring entertaining football to Tottenham.
Just how on earth they ended up appointing Nuno Espirito Santo – a conservative coach by anybody’s estimations – is anybody’s guess.
Ten Hag looked ideal for that kind of approach and The Mirror now claim that Tottenham did hold talks with the Dutchman.
However, it’s claimed that Levy pivoted away from Ten Hag after holding talks with the Dutchman.
Ten Hag allegedly indicated that he needed a lot of backroom support to succeed in North London, but only suggested one member of staff he wanted to work with at Tottenham.
Fast forward almost a year and Ten Hag now finds himself in the running to become Manchester United manager.
Ten Hag allegedly held talks with the Red Devils earlier this week but United fear the response from fans if he is appointed.
United seemingly have concerns that Ten Hag has never managed a club anywhere near as big as the Red Devils, meaning other managers could still land the job.
If Tottenham didn’t think Ten Hag was right for them, there may be questions over his suitability for United too.
It’s unfair on Ten Hag, but Frank de Boer’s history – winning titles at Ajax and then flopping elsewhere – will leave some worried about Ten Hag too.
This could all lead to Mauricio Pochettino, who Tottenham have struggled to replace, beating Ten Hag to the United job.
Tottenham will be happy with Antonio Conte right now, but we may see him going up against Ten Hag next season and beyond after things could have been so different.
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