Nagelsmann could have his own Nkunku at Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial search is set to rumble into the summer, though one name seems a clear favourite amongst the hierarchy…

Tottenham manager news – Is Julian Nagelsmann the front-runner?

According to the Telegraph, out-of-work Julian Nagelsmann is high on the Lilywhites’ shortlist but his wage demands remain a huge obstacle to overcome.

Bayern Munich, who sacked him last month, are demanding compensation of around €12m (£10m), should he join another team this season, even despite the Bundesliga giants moving forward with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

The 35-year-old has also ruled himself out of the running for the Stamford Bridge job, leaving Spurs with a free run at their man, if they can stump up the funds.

Who would benefit most from Nagelsmann’s arrival at Spurs?

Despite being so young, Nagelsmann has emerged as one of the most exciting coaches across Europe, as evident by his spells at RB Leipzig and Bayern.

It was at the former in which he truly made his name, reaching a Champions League semi-final and being DFB-Pokal runners-up for the first time. The German displayed great levels of tactical flexibility but primarily operated a back-three, which would make his fit for Tottenham right now pretty good.

His wing-back system could benefit someone like Heung-min Son, whose own struggles have been well documented this campaign. Indeed, the South Korean has looked like a shadow of himself at times, having only provided nine goals and four assists. By comparison, he finished 2021/22 with 32 goal contributions, so he has certainly regressed in such a short space of time.

Earlier this month, Daily Express journalist Charlie Gordon claimed that Son was a “bit of a passenger in this Tottenham front 3 at present.”

A formation similar to what he used in Leipzig could see the 30-year-old deployed more centrally, making the most of his long-term partnership with Harry Kane.

And Nagelsmann would be wise to take inspiration from his success with Christopher Nkunku, a wildly versatile sensation who was often deployed in the space behind Alexander Sorloth (a similar sort of present to the aforementioned Englishman) or alongside someone like Patrik Schick or Yussuf Poulsen.

Under the 35-year-old, the French phenom – who is set to join Chelsea in the summer in a deal worth £63m – scored 12 goals and laid on 27 assists across 84 appearances, via Transfermarkt. That’s one contribution every two games and better than Son’s returns in 2022/23.

The once-hailed “revelation” – in the words of pundit and former Arsenal star Martin Keown – could be in line for a mini-revival under the German, should chairman Daniel Levy pay up to get his no.1 target.

As such, the £46m-rated attacker should be delighted should Naglesmann walk through the door in the summer. The exciting young coach could be what’s needed to get Son back firing on all cylinders alongside his talismanic duo, Kane.