Gennaro Gattuso has previously detailed his love for English football as he edges closer to becoming Tottenham Hotspur's new head coach.
In a shock turn of events, which has seen Spurs end their interest in appointing former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca as Jose Mourinho's replacement, the former AC Milan and Napoli boss now looks set to be installed as the club's new head coach.
Gattuso, who was a World Cup winner as a player, left Fiorentina yesterday, quitting after just 23 days in charge. His short-term tenure is believed to have happened because he was unhappy with the level of investment in the playing squad.
However, he looks set for an immediate return to management, with Spurs quickly identifying the 43-year-old as the ideal replacement for Mourinho, bringing an abrupt end to their discussions with Fonseca.
But if talks between Spurs and Gattuso go to plan, the Italian would be arriving in a country where he has waxed lyrical about the standard of football produced in the past.
Many years ago, Gattuso hailed English football for the way it is played and the way supporters are embedded in the fabric of it.
"[Former United boss Alex] Ferguson has always respected me - and I have always admired the Premier League which, for me, is the best league in the world," Gattuso said more than five years ago.
"In Italy, we are tactical masters, but in England you see pacey players with great strength in their legs.
"I love watching the Championship, because in those games, I see true love that people in England have for football. They breathe football.
"I record two Championship matches a night.
"In Italy, some teams can relax during games. In England, with every action of a team, there is a corresponding action from the opposition."
Whilst offering his verdict on the English game, Gattuso also revealed that he'd "walk" to England to replace former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford if he had the chance.
He added: "I'd walk there. I'd even go tomorrow."
With Gattuso such a fan of English football, it seems highly likely that he would be eager to embrace the English culture and prove his worth in the Premier League.
He has managed seven different clubs in his managerial career so far, with six of those being in his homeland. The only job he has taken on outside of Italy was in Crete. However, he only last six months in the role before resigning.
