Who will be the next Tottenham boss after Nuno Espirito Santo sacking?

By Andy CryerBBC Sport

After just 10 Premier League matches of the season, Tottenham Hotspur are on the search for a new manager again.

Spurs spent much of the summer hunting for a new boss with Paulo Fonseca, Gennaro Gattuso and Antonio Conte all lined up to replace Jose Mourinho, before Nuno Espirito Santo finally got the job.

Now, with Nuno being sacked with Spurs eighth in the Premier League, owner Daniel Levy will need to dip back into his contacts book to find the Portuguese's successor.

Former Chelsea boss Conte is believed to be Tottenham's top early target, as BBC Sport takes a closer look at some of the other contenders in a managerial search that is bound to be complicated by Newcastle United also being in the market for a new boss.

Have your say on who you think should be appointed at the bottom of the page.

Antonio Conte

Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte won the Premier League and FA Cup in his only spell in the Premier League with Chelsea

The Italian was the frontrunner to replace Jose Mourino at Spurs in the summer - before talks ended with Conte understood to have been unhappy with the transfer budget.

Perhaps helped by his status as an out-of-work manager, Conte, who is also being linked with the vacant Newcastle role, is clearly a man who knows how to win trophies.

The 52-year-old has won five top-flight titles since 2011, including successes at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, whom he left in May.

Paulo Fonseca

The former Roma boss is another who was almost appointed Tottenham manager this summer, before the club broke off talks as they instead went after Gattuso.

The 48-year-old, known for an attacking brand of football, replaced Claudio Ranieri at Roma after three years with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. The Portuguese has also coached Porto and Braga.

He has already held talks with Newcastle about becoming their new boss.

Steven Gerrard

The former Liverpool midfielder is another being linked with the Newcastle job but would the 41-year-old leave his job at Rangers now?

It is well known Gerrard wants to manage in the Premier League one day and the job he has done in Scotland, guiding the Ibrox outfit to their first league title in a decade, has impressed many.

Erik ten Hag

Ajax manager Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag has been Ajax boss for the past four seasons

The Dutchman's four-year spell as Ajax boss has been impressive, including guiding the club to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals and winning successive domestic doubles.

The 51-year-old was considered for the Spurs job in the summer, and has recently been linked to the vacant positions at Newcastle and Barcelona.

He is under contract until 2023 and so his appointment would not be straightforward.

Eddie Howe

Howe was being touted as a potential future England boss during his time at Bournemouth, where he took the Cherries from League One to the Premier League.

Would Bournemouth's relegation into the Championship two seasons ago count against the 43-year-old? He is currently out of work.

Frank Lampard

The 43-year-old former England midfielder didn't do his reputation any harm during 18 months in charge at Chelsea, after starting his managerial career at Derby County.

However, Lampard is yet to land a major trophy and may not be considered experienced enough for the role.

Roberto Mancini

Could Mancini be tempted away from his job as manager of European champions Italy, little more than a year out from the World Cup?

The 56-year-old Italian was the manager who delivered Manchester City their first Premier League title, four years after the club were taken over by Sheikh Mansour.

Known for his attacking football, he could prove a popular appointment.

Ryan Mason

The former Tottenham midfielder was promoted from the club's academy to take over as interim manager until the end of last season following Mourinho's dismissal.

He won his first match in charge, before losing the EFL Cup final to Manchester City. Mason went on to win three more games and lose two in his last five matches in temporary charge.

He is currently the head of player development at the Tottenham academy.

Scott Parker

Bournemouth manager Scott Parker
Scott Parker has led Bournemouth to the top of the Championship

Former Spurs midfielder Parker has made a flying start to his time at Bournemouth.

After leaving Fulham following their relegation from the Premier League, Parker switched to the Cherries, who sit top of the second tier - five points clear of his former team in second.

A manager whose top-flight experience involves two relegations may not ordinarily excite Spurs fans, but his past spell as both a player and coach in north London would make him more appealing.

Mauricio Pochettino

A Pochettino return was explored in the summer, but he remained with Paris St-Germain who have since added Lionel Messi to their squad.

The man who led Spurs to their only Champions League final is highly unlikely to leave the French capital mid-season, but if Levy and Paratici are patient and stay with a caretaker until the end of the campaign, they could look to secure an emotional reunion in time for next season.

Graham Potter

Potter continues to receive praise for the job he has done at Brighton, who sit above Tottenham in the Premier League table.

The former Ostersunds and Swansea boss has been linked with a move to a club with more resources than Brighton, but Spurs may struggle to convince Potter to leave his ongoing project on the south coast mid-season.

Brendan Rodgers

A move for Brendan Rodgers would undoubtedly make an impact, but he seems happy at Leicester and quickly moved to rule himself out of the Newcastle role when linked.

But would a move to Tottenham be more appealing, especially with the Foxes currently a point worse off than Spurs in the table? Other managers have gone back on pledges of loyalty to one club and it would be a surprise if Levy didn't at least make a call to sound out his interest.

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