Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly touched base with Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner to discuss replacing Antonio Conte.
Current Spurs boss Conte is now widely expected to lose his job during the international break in the wake of his relentless outburst towards the players at the weekend.
Fourth-placed Spurs threw away a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with basement side Southampton on Saturday, leaving them just two points clear of Newcastle United, who have two games in hand.
Conte launched a brutal attack on his troops after the game, labelling his players "selfish" and questioning the club's lack of silverware under Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis.
The Italian has apparently clarified to the board that his comments were solely aimed at the players, who have reacted negatively to their manager's outburst, and some members of the squad reportedly want to see him sacked during the international break.
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Tottenham are expected to come to a decision on Conte's future within the next 48 hours, but even if he avoids the sack, he will leave at the end of his contract in the summer anyway.
A plethora of names have been linked with the Tottenham hotseat, and according to Bild, contact has now been made with Frankfurt head coach Glasner.
The 48-year-old led Die Adler to Europa League glory last season with victory over Rangers in the final, booking their spot in the 2022-23 Champions League group stages in the process.
Frankfurt and Tottenham both qualified for the knockout rounds, but Glasner's side were swiftly eliminated in the last 16, losing 5-0 on aggregate to Serie A leaders Napoli.
The Austrian's contract with Frankfurt will expire at the end of next season, potentially placing Tottenham in a favourable position during negotiations in the summer.
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Glasner has 35 wins, 25 draws and 25 defeats to show from 85 games in charge of Frankfurt since leaving Wolfsburg in 2021, and his side currently occupy sixth place in the Bundesliga table.
For the time being, Ryan Mason will likely be handed the reins on an interim basis if Conte is given the boot, as was the case when Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2021.
Some members of the Tottenham squad have reportedly pleaded with Mauricio Pochettino to return to the hotseat in place of Conte, having reached the Champions League final while employing the Argentine's attractive brand of football.
Levy ruthlessly sacked Pochettino only a few months after he led Spurs to the pinnacle of Europe's top competition, though, and he would need convincing to re-hire the former Paris Saint-Germain coach.
Luis Enrique, Thomas Frank, Thomas Tuchel, Marco Silva and Roberto De Zerbi have also been shortlisted as possible successors to Conte, who is currently back in Italy while Tottenham's non-international players return to work at Hotspur Way.
Ben Knapton
