Former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann is reportedly Tottenham Hotspur's leading candidate to succeed Antonio Conte next season.
On Sunday evening, Spurs announced the departure of Conte by mutual consent, ending the Italian's tumultuous 16-month reign in the hotseat.
Daniel Levy took action after Conte launched a scathing post-match assessment of his players following a 3-3 draw with Southampton, where Spurs let a 3-1 lead slip to drop two points against the Premier League's basement side.
Conte hit out at "selfish" members of his squad and also pointed to the club's distinct lack of silverware under Levy and Joe Lewis, who only have one EFL Cup crown to show for their time upstairs.
The Italian's former assistant Cristian Stellini has been placed in interim charge until the end of the season, as Levy sounds out a number of potential successors to Conte.
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Following Nagelsmann's shock sacking from Bayern Munich, the German has unsurprisingly been linked with a move to North London, having apparently developed an affinity for the North London club.
It has been claimed that the 35-year-old closely followed the club's progress under Mauricio Pochettino, and he also owns a Tottenham replica t-shirt.
According to the Daily Mail, as many as 10 managers are under consideration for the Tottenham job, but Nagelsmann is the clear priority, and Levy is hopeful of holding imminent talks with the German.
Nagelsmann left RB Leipzig in 2021 to succeed Germany-bound Hansi Flick at Bayern, and he clinched the Bavarians' 10th successive Bundesliga title in his first season in charge.
However, the promising young manager was given the boot last week amid a downturn in fortunes since the World Cup, with Bayern currently one point adrift of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga table.
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Nagelsmann has been succeeded at the Allianz Arena by Thomas Tuchel - another high-profile manager to have been linked with the Tottenham job - and his preference for a three-at-the-back setup would also appeal to Tottenham.
Adopting a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 approach during the Conte era, the Tottenham board sanctioned several transfers in line with the Italian's preferred formation, but Nagelsmann is one of 10 names under consideration for the Spurs job.
Ex-Tottenham manager Pochettino continues to be linked with an audacious comeback, but some members of the Spurs hierarchy would need convincing to re-hire the Argentine, who was sacked in 2019.
Across the Premier League, Brentford's Thomas Frank, Fulham's Marco Silva, Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper and Brighton & Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi are also under consideration for the job.
Celtic's Ange Postecoglou, Eintracht Frankfurt's Oliver Glasner and Porto's Sergio Conceicao also have admirers in North London, as does the unattached Luis Enrique, who left his role as Spain head coach following the World Cup.
Ben Knapton
