Tottenham Hotspur have hired Antonio Conte as their next manager after firing Nuno Espirito Santo, but had also considered targeting Eddie Howe first, according to The Sun.
Spurs sacked Nuno on Monday after 124-days and 17 games at the helm after losing three of their last four. The Portuguese is now their shortest-serving coach in the Premier League era, and will earn £5m from being dismissed.
Chairman Daniel Levy is desperate for Tottenham to enjoy a quick turnaround under their new coach, Conte. Spurs owner Joe Lewis has backed Levy to hand the Italian a £290k-a-week contract and a hefty £150m transfer budget.
Conte held advanced talks to be the next Tottenham manager after Nuno on an 18-month contract. His arrival in north London marks a U-turn from the summer, when he claimed Spurs were not ambitious enough after Levy eyed him as one of several ahead of Nuno.
Levy also eyed a few alternative names to replace Nuno, rather than going all-out to bring Conte to Tottenham. They included fellow summer target Paulo Fonseca, plus Howe, who remains out of work since leaving Bournemouth last year.
Should Tottenham have hired Howe over Conte as Nuno’s successor?
Tottenham could have hired their own Pep Guardiola in appointing Howe over Conte as Nuno’s successor in north London. The 43-year-old earned many plaudits with his work guiding Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League.
One of his Cherries stars, Ryan Fraser, claimed while at Dean Court that Howe has some qualities similar to Guardiola. He told The Big Interview with Graham Hunter:
“Obviously, Pep is top, top, top and Eddie is very good – but there are comparisons. The hard work. The in-depth analysis of every little detail. Small runs that might affect the other team’s movements, space and everything.
“And the reaction press, which is what teams like Barcelona, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are so good at. When they lose the ball, they get it back so high up the pitch and score so many goals from that. If you lose the ball and the opposition get it back, they expand. If you get it back straight away, you penetrate them even more.”
Tottenham, then, seemingly overlooked hiring their own Guardiola in Howe by appointing Conte to replace Nuno in north London.
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