Tottenham calamity continues as Paulo Fonseca deal collapses but plan B quickly emerges
The deal for Tottenham to appoint Paulo Fonseca as their new head coach has fallen through, with the club quickly turning to an alternative.
Fonseca seemed all set to take the reins at Tottenham in a move that would have seen him swap jobs with Jose Mourinho, who has replaced him at Roma. It would have been an interesting scenario, but it appears that it won’t happen now after all.
Tottenham had been hoping to secure Fonseca’s signature, potentially this week. However, multiple sources now claim it has collapsed.
Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport Italia revealed the news, confirming that fiscal problems were to blame.
Fabrizio Romano, writing for The Guardian, provided a deeper explanation. He revealed that despite Fonseca verbally agreeing a contract, the move has fallen through because the tax benefits he enjoyed in Italy are not applicable in the United Kingdom.
It is yet another setback for Spurs in their bid to replace Mourinho, who was sacked two months ago. They have already unsuccessfully tried to appoint Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino, and can now add another one that got away to the list.
But one candidate is already emerging as a strong contender to take the job – and they will hope that this time it is not a false dawn.
Both Di Marzio and Romano claim that Tottenham will try to appoint Gennaro Gattuso as their next boss.
Gattuso left Napoli at the end of the season and agreed to take over at Fiorentina for the upcoming campaign. But disagreements over their transfer policy led them to split before his work had even begun, just 23 days after they announced his appointment.
His agent Jorge Mendes – who, coincidentally, also looks after Mourinho – is now reportedly pushing him to Spurs.
Tottenham ‘close’ to appointing Gattuso
The Athletic also give weight to the rumours, claiming Spurs are closing in on appointing Gattuso. They remind that new managing director Fabio Paratici was considering the 43-year-old for a job at Juventus before he left.
Now, they could link up in London instead.
Gattuso famously clashed with then-Spurs coach Joe Jordan when playing for AC Milan in 2011. Now, it seems he could be on Spurs’ side.
His coaching career so far has included stints with Sion, Palermo, OFI Crete, Pisa and AC Milan. This would be his first taste of coaching in the Premier League were it to go through.
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