Tottenham Hotspur have held 'positive' talks with the agents of former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, and he is now happy to sit down with them.
Who could Spurs replace Conte with?
The north Londoners, over a month after parting ways with former boss Antonio Conte, are still very much on the look out for his permanent replacement. Cristian Stellini and assistant coach Ryan Mason have taken interim charge of the Premier League top four hopefuls in the meantime, with the aim of securing Champions League qualification.
The Lilywhites have reportedly drawn up their shortlist of managerial candidates to succeed Conte with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann and Enrique among their most high profile options as free agents.
Those in-work are also attracting attention from Tottenham, with perhaps most notably Arne Slot of Feyenoord and Oliver Glasner of Eintracht Frankfurt being the most heavily tipped to potentially join. Whoever chairman Daniel Levy chooses to appoint will be a crucial, crucial decision – especially as voices in the stands grow ever more restless with the ownership of ENIC.
Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter have also been sporadically mentioned by members of the media, though the British duo don't appear to be as regularly talked about as the likes of Enrique. Going back to the Spaniard, after reports of Spurs planning to open talks with him, an update has come to light courtesy of 90min.
The outlet claims that Tottenham have held 'positive' talks Enrique's entourage, and after these optimistic discussions, Spurs are set to sit down with the 52-year-old. He is now apparently happy to talk with Spurs over their vacancy as both sides prepare for 'face-to-face' negotiations.
Should Spurs go for Enrique?
One big obstacle in Tottenham's way will be rivals Chelsea, who could surely be stepping up their pursuit of a new manager after they crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
They're apparently targeting Enrique as well, but if Spurs can somehow convince the tactician to move to their side of London, he could be an exciting appointment. Boasting multiple La Liga titles and a Champions League winner's medal on his CV, Enrique encourages an attack-minded 4-4-3 formation (Transfermarkt) – being called a 'genius' by members of the press.
Of course, his lack of Premier League experience could be seen as something which may count against him, but Enrique's status as a free agent opens the door for clubs like Spurs to make a risk-free move financially.
We believe he should, at the very least, be up there on Levy's list of serious options.