Tottenham Hotspur needs to hire a new head coach as soon as possible and re-establish a style of play, according to interim manager Ryan Mason ahead of its final game of the season.
It has been a wretched season for Tottenham which goes into Sunday’s clash at Leeds United in eighth place and in danger of missing out on European qualification.
Antonio Conte left the club in March, leading to Mason stepping in for a second time in two years, while sporting director Fabio Paratici resigned in April after a 30-month suspension by an Italian court was upheld.
Tottenham appears no closer to appointing a full-time replacement for Conte after Feyenoord’s Arne Slot ruled himself out of the reckoning this week.
The squad also looks in urgent need of surgery too while talisman Harry Kane, who has scored 28 Premier League goals this season, may or may not still be at the club next season.
Hardly an ideal situation and Mason said important decisions must be made in the coming weeks.
“We’ve had two or three different styles of football over the last few years and I don’t think that’s helpful for any the players, the club or the staff,” Mason told reporters.
“I would like people to know what to expect when you see a Tottenham player or anyone that works at the club.”
Conte’s safety-first style with an emphasis on counter-attacking, a style also preferred by Jose Mourinho before him, was often a hard watch for Tottenham fans who pine for the days of Mauricio Pochettino’s front foot, high-tempo team that twice came close to winning the Premier League title.
Mason is regarded as an outside for the job, even though he has thrown his hat into the ring, but he said the uncertainty over the club’s direction must end.
“There is work because we have a big squad, a lot of players on loan and decisions to make,” he said. “First a lot of decisions to make about the current squad.
“Most important is the work away from transfer window, we need a manager in place, commitment, an idea.
“You can’t do transfer business without a manager because it might not fit with his idea.”
Asked if managing Tottenham was still a pull, Mason said: “Absolutely. Its history. It’s Tottenham Hotspur. It’s a big club. The staff and players and everyone here should feel the privilege of being here. If they don’t then they shouldn’t be here, simple as that.”
Tottenham needs to better Aston Villa’s result at home to Brighton & Hove Albion to finish in seventh spot which would come with a place in the Europa Conference League.
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