Jurgen Klinsmann doesn’t rule himself out of contention to replace Jose Mourinho as Tottenham manager with club legend saying ‘anything is possible’… but Maurizio Sarri is bookies’ favourite to take over in the summer
- Tottenham sacked manager Jose Mourinho on Monday just days before they play Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley
- Club legend Jurgen Klinsmann hasn’t ruled himself out of the running for the job
- German has been out of managerial work since leaving Hertha Berlin last year
- He has previously coached Germany, the United States and Bayern Munich
- Maurizio Sarri and Julian Nagelsmann are bookmakers’ favourites for Spurs job
Jurgen Klinsmann hasn’t ruled out replacing Jose Mourinho as manager of Tottenham, with the club legend saying ‘anything is possible.’
The German, who had two spells at White Hart Lane in the 1990s, has been out of work since leaving the Hertha Berlin job in February last year.
The former Germany, Bayern Munich and United States manager is 16-1 with some bookmakers to take the Tottenham job, though Maurizio Sarri and Julian Nagelsmann are the favourites with the bookmakers.
Jurgen Klinsmann replied ‘anything is possible’ when asked about the vacant Tottenham job
Klinsmann is a club legend at Tottenham after two goal-packed spells there as a player
Asked on ESPN FC about the prospects of taking the job, Klinsmann replied: ‘I tell you, anything is possible in life.
‘I never thought in the first place I would coach Germany to a World Cup, that I would coach the US for six years or Bayern Munich, so we will see in a couple of months who is going to be the Spurs manager.’
Spurs sacked Mourinho on Monday just days before this weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
Though Spurs are only two points off the Champions League places in the Premier League, there has been widespread criticism of the style of football the team was playing under Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho was sacked on Monday after just 17 months in charge at Tottenham
Klinsmann has been out of coaching work since leaving the Hertha Berlin post last year
Academy coach Ryan Mason, 29, has taken charge of the side on an interim basis and could deliver Tottenham’s first silverware since 2008 on Sunday at Wembley.
On Mourinho’s dismissal, Klinsmann said: ‘Obviously it is a huge, huge decision and the timing as well, just a couple of days before the League Cup final, but he [chairman Daniel Levy] wanted to send out a signal that it wasn’t going in the right direction.
‘Daniel Levy saw himself forced to cut the rope and figure out now, over the next couple of months, what to do.
‘It was definitely a decision against Jose and his style of play and what the Spurs fans really wanted to see.
‘From where they are in the table, you can still justify certain things, they are just two points behind in the Champions League so anything is still possible.
‘Obviously they wanted to go for the title and at the beginning of the season they were up there but then they dropped month by month and he has pulled the plug.
‘It is really important for the club to finish off the season as good as possible. That means getting into the Champions League.
‘If they win the League Cup final on Sunday then awesome, they have the smallest trophy you can win in England but it is still nice to have a little piece of silverware.
‘But the aim is to get into the Champions League.’
Former Chelsea and Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri is the bookmakers’ favourite for the job
The RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann is also one of the favourites for the Tottenham post