Tottenham added another Italian gaffer to their list of targets to succeed José Mourinho on the bench as they recently contacted Gian Piero Gasperini. They were previously linked to Maurizio Sarri, who remains in the running like Athletic’s Marcelino, while Erik Ten Hag recently extended his contract with Ajax. However, the Atalanta boss is considered unlikely to move to the Spurs, Corriere della Sera reports.
First of all, he is not particularly keen on leaving Italy, and the fact that he does not speak proper English is seen as an insurmountable obstacle at this stage. On the other hand, he would receive a mammoth pay bump as he is making €3M per year, plus bonuses, and the Lilywhites tend to be very generous with their coaches.
Gasperini will likely stay in Bergamo and look to extend his successful five-year run with the team. They are currently right in the thick of the Champions League race as they are on a par with Juventus and Milan in second place. They will have the opportunity to take home the first trophy in 60 years in the Coppa Italia final versus the Bianconeri.
The manager would seriously consider leaving the Goddess for another Italian team only if the Old Lady, where he began his career, came knocking. It has not happened thus far even though Andrea Pirlo is hanging by a thread.
As for Sarri, he was blindsided by Roma hiring José Mourinho as he had okayed the destination, transfer market expert Alfredo Pedullà informed. He is hopeful of returning to Premier League, but the initial talks with Tottenham and Arsenal were not fruitful, Corriere della Sera reports.