It means Daniel Levy is yet again looking for a new manager to lead the north London side - the fourth time since sacking Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino in 2019.

Any prospective new manager will be highly aware of the challenges the north London club is facing, notably a frustratingly long wait for silverware by fans, an immense pressure to qualify for Champions League football amidst a growing list of competitive rivals at the top of the Premier League, as well as a growing likelihood their leading talisman Harry Kane will push to leave the club in the summer.

Here, Flashscore takes a look at five top contenders likely to be of interest to the Tottenham hierarchy.

Mauricio Pochettino

The top contender and the primary name amongst the lips of Spurs fans is former manager Pochettino.

The Argentine led Spurs to their two highest-ever Premier League finishes and a Champions League final during his much-celebrated tenure, playing a vital role in accelerating Tottenham's competitiveness while playing an exciting and attacking brand of football.

A poor run of form saw him lose his job in 2019, being swiftly replaced by Jose Mourinho.

He has been out of work after being relieved of his duties by PSG last season - where he won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France - and he's been linked with a few vacancies in recent times but seemingly resisted any approaches.

Sources close to Pochetinno suggest the high-profile coach feels he has "unfinished business" at Spurs. He also still lives close to Tottenham's training ground in north London, with his family also still based in the area.

While it was said he enjoyed a strong working relationship with Levy up until his final few weeks, it remains open to debate whether the Spurs chairman would be willing to turn back to a former employee.

Julian Nagelsmann

Levy is known to be an admirer of the young German coach, having previously considered prizing him away from RB Leipzig when Pochettino left the club.

Nagelsmann is a very fresh free agent, with Bayern Munich surprisingly parting ways with the 35-year-old last week, replacing him with Thomas Tuchel.

During his time at Leipzig, he took the club to a Champions League semi-final and several top-four finishes in the Bundesliga.

Prior to his Bayern sacking, he won one Bundesliga title in the 2021-22 season, as well as two German Super Cups.

He's someone the Spurs board would be interested in speaking to and may see a move to the Premier League as the perfect place to rebuild his slightly tarnished reputation.

Roberto De Zerbi

The Brighton boss has taken over from Graham Potter seamlessly this season, overcoming a slightly slow start to propel the Seagulls to the semi-final of the FA Cup and a highly credible eighth place in the league.

They're still very much in contention for European qualification, and aren't too far off Spurs as it stands, with a few games in hand to boot.

While the Italian's stock is undoubtedly high, he's only been in his current role for barely six months and Levy may do well to look at Potter's record at Chelsea since leaving the superbly structured Brighton as a warning sign.

Whether De Zerbi would even be interested in leaving his current project for Spurs is another matter.

Paulo Fonseca

A favourite of managing director Fabio Paratici, Fonseca was included on the shortlist for the job before the club ultimately announced Nuno Espirito Santo as boss.

Not a particularly familiar name to English fans, Portuguese coach Fonseca has since found himself doing a fine job at French Ligue 1 club Lille.

The club has exceeded pre-season expectations and currently sits in sixth place, pushing for an outside shot at European qualification.

He'd be an outside bet but Paratici is a notoriously strong-willed decision-maker at the club, and could well put his foot down to land his man this time around.

Luis Enrique

Out of work since leaving his role managing Spain's national team after the World Cup, Enrique is said to be eager to return to club management and reportedly has one eye on trying his hand in the Premier League.

The former Roma and Barcelona boss has enjoyed successful spells in his previous roles and he's been known for playing attractive, direct and exciting football, particularly when it comes to swift counter-attacking and transitioning from defence to the forwards.

His style may be well suited to the players already at the club, and may also lend itself well to what the Tottenham faithful long to see.

He won nine trophies from a possible 13 during his time at Camp Nou, including a Club World Cup, a Champions League, two Spanish Super Cups, two La Liga titles and three Copa del Rey trophies.

If Levy can convince Enrique to come on board, it could even be seen as something of a coup.