Tottenham decide NOT to hire Gennaro Gattuso as manager after holding brief talks with the Italian with Daniel Levy forced to look elsewhere AGAIN for a successor to Jose Mourinho
- Tottenham have called off their pursuit of Italian manager Gennaro Gattuso
- Brief talks were held with the Italian but he has now been ruled out of the race
- Gattuso emerged after they aborted their attempts to appoint Paulo Fonseca
- Tottenham’s managerial hunt has been farcical since they sacked Jose Mourinho
Tottenham have decided to abandon their pursuit of Gennaro Gattuso with their nightmare hunt for a successor to Jose Mourinho set to continue.
The club’s managerial search took a surprise twist on Thursday when they aborted their attempts to appoint former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca at the last minute and opened talks with Gattuso.
However, Spurs have now ruled the Italian out of the race after holding brief talks with him.
Tottenham have decided to abandon their pursuit of Italian manager Gennaro Gattuso
It looked like Daniel Levy would appoint the Italian but reports claim a move has fallen through
New managing director of football Fabio Paratici is now leading the search for a new manager
Fonseca had agreed to join Spurs and begun discussions with new managing director of football Fabio Paratici about their plans for the squad and the makeup of his coaching staff.
However, with the confirmation of Fonseca’s appointment seemingly imminent, Spurs chose to walk away.
Spurs insisted financial issues were not behind their change of heart and it was simply a call to go in a different direction made by the club’s hierarchy.
The sudden availability of Gattuso was believed to be one factor in Spurs’s decision after he walked away from his new job with Fiorentina on Thursday after just 23 days in the post.
Paratici has previously been interested in Gattuso while he was managing director at Juventus and was keen to appoint him had they been unable to lure Massimiliano Allegri back to the club this summer.
Talks took place between Spurs and the 43-year-old, who has managed both AC Milan and Napoli during his coaching career, on Thursday but he has now been ruled out of the running.
Gattuso emerged as the shock new favourite for the Tottenham job after leaving Fiorentina
Tottenham fans are sure to be relieved after they expressed their fury when Gattuso emerged as their top managerial target.
Controversial historic comments made by Gattuso on women in football, same-sex marriage and racism were brought to light by supporters on social media on Thursday night.
‘Gennaro Gattuso is now the number one target for manager’, one fan wrote.
‘The same Gennaro Gattuso that who just walked out of the Fiorentina job after 22 days because of disagreements over transfer strategies between him, Jorge Mendes and the board. Tottenham Hotspur football club everyone.’
Another wrote: ‘Gattuso is as defensive as they come, he doesn’t fit in any shape or form and has just left a job after 22 days due to transfer policy.
‘It’s the most ridiculous and incompetent appointment possible, so of course it will happen.’
The former Italy midfielder, who had a famous 2011 touchline bust-up with former Spurs coach Joe Jordan during his AC Milan days, appeared set to spend this season at Fiorentina having joined them last month after leaving Napoli.
Paulo Fonseca had been favourite to take charge but talks broke down between both parties
But he left Fiorentina on Thursday after just 23 days following a dispute with his new club over transfer plans connected to his agent Jorge Mendes.
Gattuso has also managed Sion, Palermo, OFI Crete, Pisa and Milan.
The 43 year-old has become the latest to emerge as a leading target for the job in Spurs’s roller-coaster search since Mourinho’s exit two months ago.
Bayern Munich-bound Julian Nagelsmann, Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers and Ajax’s Erik Ten Hag all proved out of reach before Spurs stepped up their search.
They held talks with Mauricio Pochettino who was keen on a return to Spurs but Paris Saint-Germain activated a one-year extension to his contract.
Antonio Conte then appeared set for the Spurs job following his departure from Inter Milan before talks with the former Chelsea manager also broke down.