With the Premier League season having come to a close, the wait goes on to see just who will be named as the new permanent manager at Tottenham Hotspur, despite the Lilywhites having sacked former boss, Antonio Conte just over two months ago.
Since then, the Italian's former assistant, Cristian Stellini has also been dismissed as interim boss, while Ryan Mason was also handed the reins on a short-term basis for the final few weeks of the season, as the north London outfit slipped to a lowly, eighth-place finish to miss out on European qualification.
The hope for supporters would likely have been to see a new long-term coach appointed amid that climax to the season, although chairman Daniel Levy has thus far been unable to nail down a leading option, having missed out on the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot.
At present, the suggestion – according to journalist Dan Kilpatrick – is that the club are set to "step up" their interest in Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou following the Old Firm outfit's Scottish Cup final showdown on Saturday, with the 57-year-old said to have "impressed" Levy and co.
The Greek-Aussie has warranted that interest following his fine work in Glasgow of late, having claimed four domestic honours since the start of the 2021/22 season, while also implementing "beautiful, attacking football", in the words of BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves.
That being said, however, as Kilpatrick noted in his piece for the Evening Standard, the former Australia boss 'does not fit the profile of an up-and-coming coach' that Spurs were seemingly keen to acquire, hence the need to potentially consider more youth alternatives for the vacancy.
With that in mind, one such candidate could well have presented himself in the form of Fiorentina head coach, Vincenzo Italiano…
Who is Vincenzo Italiano?
The 45-year-old is an Italian coach who is currently catching the eye as a result of his impressive work in Florence in recent seasons, with the former Spezia man having guided the Serie A side to the Europa Conference League final this term.
Amid that success, reports in Italy have suggested that Italiano is being considered by the Tottenham hierarchy in their bid to find a suitable successor to Conte, having also guided his current side to the final of the Coppa Italia – where they were narrowly beaten by Inter Milan last month.
A more youthful, emerging coach than Postecoglou, the German-born tactician – who favours a 4-3-3 approach – could also be a perfect option due to his apparent likeness to Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp.
That comparison has been made by Italian pundit Riccardo Trevisani, with respected insider stating that Italiano – as well as Monza's Raffaele Palladino – are "are similar to Klopp" and are among the "best from the new batch of Italian coaches".
That similarity bodes well for the impact that the Fiorentina man could make at N17, with Klopp having established himself as a "super coach" – according to Trevisani – who "doesn’t have one single idea and is capable of changing so much".
The German visionary – who also favours a 4-3-3 formation – has enjoyed remarkable success at Anfield since his arrival on Merseyside back in 2015, having guided the Reds to Champions League and Premier League glory, while cementing his place as a truly "great manager", according to Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.
To think that Spurs could have their own answer to the ex-Borussia Dortmund man with the appointment of Italiano is certainly intriguing, with the Italian seemingly a figure that Levy should be paying close attention to, alongside Postecoglou.
