Tottenham’s protracted search for a new manager will continue after the north London club decided against appointing Gennaro Gattuso to the vacant position, The Athletic can reveal.
The Italian emerged as a potential option for Spurs yesterday alongside Paulo Fonseca, with whom talks are believed to have broken down. Earlier in the day, Gattuso surprisingly departed Fiorentina after only 23 days at the helm.
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Conversations took place between Tottenham and the 43-year-old former AC Milan and Napoli manager — as they have done with numerous contenders — however, Gattuso will not be getting the job.
There was a huge backlash from Spurs fans after reports that Gattuso was the leading candidate.
Historic comments allegedly made by the ex-Italy midfielder about the role of women in football, same-sex marriage and racism were repeatedly shared by Tottenham supporters on social media, accompanied by the hashtag #NoToGattuso, which was trending in the United Kingdom last night.
Tottenham’s new managing director Fabio Paratici had been speaking to Fonseca over the past week about the vacant position. He had considered hiring Gattuso as Pirlo’s successor at Juventus earlier this summer.
Gattuso, who parted ways with Napoli last month, walked away from Fiorentina before he had even officially started in the job.
Before Gattuso and Fonseca, Spurs are reported to have held discussions with their old manager Mauricio Pochettino — now at Paris Saint-Germain — as well as Antonio Conte, who left Inter last month after winning the Scudetto, and Hansi Flick, who will join the German national team after Euro 2020.
In a letter to Tottenham fans at the end of the season, the chairman Daniel Levy wrote that the board had “lost sight of some key priorities and what’s truly in our DNA”, adding: “We are acutely aware of the need to select someone whose values reflect those of our great club and return to playing football with the style for which we are known — free-flowing, attacking and entertaining — while continuing to embrace our desire to see young players flourish from our academy alongside experienced talent.”
Tomorrow will mark two months to the day that Tottenham sacked Jose Mourinho, and the club subsequently failed to qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League.
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