Tottenham's next manager: Homecoming for USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino, Andoni Iraola steal and the top options for Spurs to replace sacked Ange Postecoglou - ranked

Kieran McKenna was reportedly on the radar of Spurs, Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton after guiding Ipswich Town back to the Premier League for the first time since 2001-02, but he showed admirable loyalty by penning a new four-year contract at Portman Roa. In hindsight, McKenna may now be regretting that decision because his stock has dropped significantly due to the Tractor Boys' struggles in the top-flight.

Ipswich only won four of their 38 league games in 2024-25 as their immediate return to the Championship was confirmed. McKenna worked miracles by delivering back-to-back promotions in Suffolk, but the step up to the top tier proved too big for the 39-year-old, and Tottenham probably won't revive their interest until he has gained more experience.

Juventus brought in Thiago Motta last summer thinking he'd be the complete opposite of Massimiliano Allegri, a progressive young coach with plenty of personality. But the former Barcelona and Inter star ultimately failed to live up to that billing as the Bianconeri continued to play a drab brand of football for the first nine months of the new campaign, dropping out of the Serie A top four in the process, and Motta paid the ultimate price.

However, at the age of 42, he still has a bright career in management ahead of him, having proven his coaching chops by leading Bologna to the Champions League on a shoestring budget in 2023-24. Motta is reportedly now on Spurs' radar, and though it would be a risk to go for a Premier League newbie, they could certainly do a lot worse.

Thomas Frank deserves the chance to step up to a big club. That is the only rational conclusion to draw after Brentford's 2024-25 campaign, which ended with a top-10 finish - a remarkable achievement considering Ivan Toney's departure to Saudi Arabia last summer.

Frank has turned the Bees into a fiercely competitive Premier League side over the past four years, earning widespread admiration for his man-management skills and attention to detail in the process. Spurs have reportedly lined Frank up as a candidate to replace Postecoglou, and it's easy to imagine him making the transition across London seamlessly, not least because of the release clause that exists in his Brentford contract.

Brendan Rodgers lifted seven trophies during his first stint at Celtic, and picked up from where he left off after returning to Glasgow in June 2023, delivering the double in his homecoming campaign. The Hoops won another two trophies in 2024-25, while Rodgers also masterminded their surprise run to the Champions League knockout stage play-offs, where they were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich.

Rodgers was in the frame to take over at Spurs before Postecoglou's initial appointment, and his name has been bandied about again now that the Australian is gone, but the 52-year-old has insisted he is focused on strengthening his Celtic squad this summer. Tottenham may yet try to tempt Rodgers, though, and there's a good chance the former Liverpool and Leicester City boss would at least get the team pushing in the right direction again.

"Edin Terzic was one of our foreign alternatives. In the meeting, he said he was expecting an agreement with Tottenham," Besiktas president Serdal Adali told Tivibu Spor in December when asked whether Terzic could join the Turkish club after the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst. "That book is closed." Those comments caused quite a stir at the time, with Adali suggesting that former Borussia Dortmund boss Terzic had already held talks over becoming Tottenham's new manager.

There have been no firm updates since then, but Terzic is still on the lookout for a new role after leaving Signal Iduna Park last summer, and may well fancy the idea of following in Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel's footsteps in the Premier League, with Spurs the ideal fit on paper given his track record for developing talent.

The German tactician got the best out of Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham in his first spell at Dortmund, winning the DFB-Pokal along the way, and exceeded all expectations by taking another young BVB team to the Champions League final in 2024.

Back in April, Marco Silva was reportedly one of only two managers Spurs had identified as a 'concrete' target to replace Postecoglou. The Portuguese is a shrewd tactician who likes to play with a high line and places a lot of emphasis on getting the ball wide, which has certainly reaped rewards for a Fulham team who are now entrenched as a mid-table Premier League side once more.

Silva did not fare so well in his previous post at Everton, but that was mostly out of his control, and he's worked extremely hard to rebuild his reputation at Craven Cottage. Tottenham's interest is just reward for his efforts, and it would be fascinating to see how Silva gets on at a bigger club with top-quality players to work with in every position.

Andoni Iraola has been regarded a Tottenham's other main target, and it's easy to see why. Bournemouth were in contention for European qualification for much of 2024-25 thanks to Iraola, whose high-intensity tactics have made the Cherries a match for anyone, as evidenced by their impressive wins over Arsenal, Man City, Manchester United and Newcastle.

Iraola's Bournemouth have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the Premier League over the last two years, which is also down to his well-thought-out transfer choices. The likes of Evanilson, Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert and Milos Kerkez have all been hit signings at the Vitality Stadium, and Iraola's knack for spotting talent holds him in good stead to succeed where Postecoglou failed at Tottenham.

It's been six years since Tottenham sacked Mauricio Pochettino, but the affable Argentine opened the door to a sensational return to the club in March, telling reporters: "I would like one day to come back. It's always going to be a special club for me." That was a surprising admission given Pochettino only became United States head coach four months earlier, with the brief to turn the Stars and Stripes into genuine World Cup contenders ahead of the next tournament in North America in 2026.

However, Pochettino will know deep down what an unrealistic task that is after his first eight games in charge of the USMNT. It's another high-profile hot seat for the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss, but it does feel like a stop-gap, and there's no question that he has unfinished business at Tottenham.

Levy was too quick to fire Pochettino after Spurs' bad start to the 2019-20 season. He had transformed the team from also-rans into genuine Premier League title contenders and Champions League finalists over the previous four years, and Tottenham haven't got even close to reaching the same heights since his exit.

It feels like a no-brainer to bring him back. The only snag is, Spurs would have to pay a huge compensation fee to get Pochettino out of his contract with U.S. Soccer, and it remains to be seen whether Levy would be willing to make such a financial sacrifice (and admit he made a mistake getting rid of him the first time around).