Spurs‘ hunt for a new manager took a fresh twist at the end of this last week, after the Paulo Fonseca deal collapsed due to taxes and the availability of Gennaro Gattuso – before the deal to take him to North London also collapsed due to the fans’ disgust at the thought of having the Italian associated with the club.
A campaign, #NoToGattuso, was trending in the United Kingdom on Thursday night in light of sexist, racist, homophobic and generally misogynistic beliefs that the former AC Milan player and manager has made public in recent years.
With Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici now back to square one, former Spurs fan favourite and legendary German striker again threw his name into the mix, stating that he would be keen to become the next manager if the opportunity arose.
Jurgen Klinsmann to Spurs? There's your exclusive! 😂
📺💻📲 Watch live: https://t.co/xdNJmn3ovB#bbceuro2020 #euro2020 #CROCZE https://t.co/LARw1gfL4v
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 18, 2021
“Spurs is still in my heart,” Klinsmann said during BBC’s coverage of the Euros last night.
“Absolutely would I consider that [Spurs job], but if he [Levy] doesn’t want to [name Klinsmann as manager] I cannot force it.”
Klinsmann was a villain in England before joining Spurs, largely due to his German nationality and his reputation as a diver, but after celebrating by running to the corner flag and proceeding to mimic a dive, he quickly won over the Spurs fans and also his critics in England – and many of those fans still hold him close in their hearts, particularly as he saved the club from relegation in his final year of his career, scoring nine goals in 15 games.
August 20th 1994. Premier League.
Sheffield Wednesday 3-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Petrescu (54) Calderwood og (66) Hirst (83).
Sheringham (19) @DarrenAnderton (30) Barmby (71) @J_Klinsmann (82)https://t.co/xc7wjsNw8h— HotspurMemories (@HotspurMemories) June 16, 2021
“I called him [Levy] after he let Mourinho go,” added Klinsmann.
“I said ‘Daniel, what’s the case now?’ and he said ‘I have so much to do right now, I have to sort things out at the club and let’s talk later on’.
“Then I saw all the different names walking in and talking and walking out. And the same still.”
25 years since this classic Klinsmann finish at Euro 96.
Turn. Touch. Tonk.
(👍🎥 @itvfootball)pic.twitter.com/i9JOuknutY
— A Funny Old Game (@sid_lambert) June 16, 2021
It would be an intriguing prospect to have Klinsmann take charge of the club, particularly after his experiences managing Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin, USA and Germany.
However, ultimately he failed at all of those clubs and Spurs will be very skeptical about hiring him – and with Ralf Rangnick, Ernesto Valverde and Nuno Espirito Santo now leading the race to become manager, Klinsmann is nothing but an outside candidate at this moment in time.