Liverpool and Real Madrid legend emerges favourite for Tottenham coaching role

Tottenham’s search for a new manager following the sacking of Antonio Conte has taken a new twist with former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, now coach of  Bayer Leverkusen, a hot favourite for the job.

Alonso is enjoying a brilliant season with German club Leverkusen having led to the semi-final of the Europa League where they will take on Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.

Another manager who has been linked to the Tottenham job in the last few hours is Dutch coach Arne Slot whose Feyenoord side is top of the Eredivisie- but it is thought that Alonso is top of the list for the Tottenham board.

Alonso has introduced an attractive brand of football at Leverkusen who are sixth in the Bundesliga and pushing beyond their limit in Europe. The former Spain midfielder enjoyed a stellar career and was a stand-out player in the Premier League for a couple of years before moving to Real Madrid.

According to Bild In Germany, Tottenham are still interested in Julian Nagelsmann but it is thought that the former Bayern boss has reservation about joining Spurs due to the structure of the club especially now that director of football Fabio Paratici has had to quit his job.

This season has been a challenging one for the Lilywhites who sacked Antonio Conte, replaced him with his assistant Cristian Stellini before deciding to sack Stellini and replace him with 31-year-old Ryan Mason.

Tottenham are currently fifth in the Premier League table with little chance of finishing in the prestigious Champions League spot. They take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend.