Paulo Fonseca agrees Tottenham deal 'in principle' to replace Jose Mourinho

Tottenham are closing in on the appointment of Paulo Fonseca as their new manager, with the former Roma boss reportedly agreeing 'in principle' a two-year contract with the north London club

Posted Saturday, June 12, 2021 by Dailystar.co.uk

Paulo Fonseca has agreed 'in principle' a two-year contract with Tottenham which includes the option of a further 12 months, according to reports.

Spurs have been on the hunt for a new permanent manager since Jose Mourinho was handed his P45 on the week of their Carabao Cup final against Manchester City back in April.

Antonio Conte appeared set to take over earlier this month, only for talks with the north London club to eventually collapse due to an apparent difference in ambitions.

Daniel Levy has since turned his attention to Fonseca, and The Telegraph claim he has agreed a two-year deal to replace Mourinho.

Paulo Fonseca has agreed 'in principle' a two-year contract with Tottenham which includes the option of a further 12 months

The former Roma manager's contract is reportedly being concluded ahead of the unveiling of Spurs' new sporting director Fabio Paratici, the former Juventus chief seemingly brought in to work alongside previous target Conte.

But since failing to convince the latter to join, Paratici has led the search for another coach in the last few days and believes Fonseca is the man to take the club forward.

The 48-year-old is therefore on the verge of taking the Spurs reins, with the last-remaining paperwork and a final agreement from Levy all that's standing in the way of his appointment.

Fonseca departed Roma back in May to be replaced by Mourinho, who was brutally axed by Levy on the week of their cup final against City amid a poor run of results.

While he was not Spurs' first choice for the vacant role, Fonseca was identified by the club as a developer of young players and someone capable of implementing an attacking philosophy.

Levy insisted bringing back an offensive style of play was crucial in his recent letter to Spurs fans following the sacking of Mourinho.

One of Fonseca's first jobs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, along with Paratici, will be to convince star striker Harry Kane to stay this summer.

Kane, who clinched the Premier League Golden Boot last season, has spoken openly about his desire to leave Spurs and boost his chances of winning major trophies.