Spurs: Xabi Alonso could tempt Kane to stay

The Spaniard is reportedly among the candidates to be Tottenham’s next permanent manager

As the search for a new permanent manager continues at Tottenham Hotspur, supporters will likely be fearful of seeing a repeat of the protracted quest to find a replacement for Jose Mourinho back in 2021, with chairman Daniel Levy having missed out on a string of potential targets before settling on Nuno Espirito Santo.

The fear will be that history may be repeating itself, with the Lilywhites having already seen a possible candidate in the form of former boss Mauricio Pochettino opt to join rivals, Chelsea, while German visionary, Julian Nagelsmann – who appeared to be a favorite for the role – is also now out of the running.

With the end of the season rapidly approaching, Levy will surely have to settle on a new full-time appointment sooner rather than later, with the Englishman also likely to be sweating over the future of talisman, Harry Kane, with the England skipper being linked with a move to Manchester United amid his expiring contract.

According to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, however, the north Londoners could well ease those fears over the 29-year-old’s potential exit by turning to Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as the long-term successor to Antonio Conte, with the 41-year-old’s arrival at N17 possibly set to be enough to tempt Kane into staying put.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about the future of the prolific striker, the respected insider stated: “It depends really. Obviously, he wants to win trophies, but at the same time, you could also launch a counter-argument for that as he’s had Conte, he’s had José Mourinho, he’s had Mauricio Pochettino and still not won a trophy.

“So it depends on what he wants to do, if he’s happy to stay, I think someone like Xabi Alonso might actually excite him. I think it’s clear Alonso is a forward-thinking manager with fresh ideas, and he’s well respected in the game.”

This comes amid a recent report from Sky Sports that named Alonso as a target – in the wake of the shock Nagelsmann blow – with the piece revealing that senior figures at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are admirers of the Spaniard.

Would Xabi Alonso be a good appointment for the Spurs?

As per Taylor, the capture of the former Real Madrid and Liverpool midfielder may prove enough to sway Kane’s thinking this summer, with 3-4-3-based Alonso having made a promising start to life as a manager at the senior level.

Having taken the reins at Leverkusen back in October after previously spending over three years with Real Sociedad’s B team, the up-and-coming coach has quickly caught the eye due to his fine work, having turned the Bundesliga side from relegation contenders to European hopefuls in such a short space of time.

With the German outfit having been languishing in 17th with just one win from their opening eight matches of the season at the time of his arrival, the one-time Bayern Munich maestro has since guided his new side up to seventh in the table, as well as taking them to the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Currently trailing 1-0 following the first-leg meeting with Jose Mourinho’s Roma side in that competition, Alonso has received notable praise from the former Spurs boss in recent times, with the Portuguese ace stating that he “has all the conditions to be a very good coach.”

The Tolosa-born gem has also received a glowing assessment from Leverkusen starlet Jeremie Frimpong who hailed him as a “great coach”, with the hope being that Alonso can replicate such a turnaround in fortunes were he to move to north London.

On the evidence of his early work in Germany, it is easy to see why Kane – and his teammates – could be excited by the potential appointment of the World Cup winner.