Brendan Rodgers is the ideal choice to become the next Tottenham manager.
That is the view of former Liverpool and England midfielder John Barnes, who has delivered his verdict on Daniel Levy's search to appoint a new manager after sacking Jose Mourinho last month.
Many names have been linked with the post, including former Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte, who has been tipped to make a surprise return to England.
According to Corriere dello Sport, as per Sport Witness, Tottenham 'are crazy' for the Italian tactician, who looks set to leave Inter Milan for financial reasons despite leading them to the Serie A title this season.
However, Barnes thinks there is only one perfect candidate to become the next Tottenham manager.
"Well of course Tottenham could attract Brendan [Rodgers]," Barnes said, speaking to BettingOdds.com.
"Tottenham would arguably say they’re as big a club as Liverpool, so taking a chance on a manager who the narrative suggests failed at Liverpool, even though I personally feel that he was treated unfairly and didn’t fail in fact, wouldn’t mean that the Tottenham job would be a backward step for Brendan.
"If it were to happen, I don’t believe that Brendan at this moment in time could get a bigger job than Tottenham and that isn’t me saying he doesn’t deserve something bigger.
"I recently had this discussion with a friend of mine and he was asking why would Harry Kane leave Tottenham and why would Brendan Rodgers go there? The reason is because players and managers are different.
"Let's imagine that Leicester finish between eight and tenth place next season, which is totally possible, then does that mean that Brendan Rodgers' stock would go down?
"So is he going to turn Tottenham down at this moment in time just because he had a great campaign this year with Leicester?
"I personally don’t feel that Leicester will do as well next season as they did this year and that can affect Brendan if he was planning to wait there another season in the hope that his side can replicate or better the successes of the season just gone.
"What if they don’t repeat or better that success? What would Brendan’s options be? That’s why I think Tottenham would be a great move for him, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if former Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo is added to the list of potential candidates as he would also be a good fit for Spurs.
"The job as Tottenham manager would be ideal for Brendan Rodgers."
With that said, Barnes has also talked up Roberto Martinez's chances of landing the job.
"I think the appointment would be good for Roberto [Martinez] and I think the appointment would be good for Tottenham as he’s a good manager and he helped the Belgian national side become the number one international team in the world," Barnes added.
"He did okay at Everton, but they didn’t have the players he required to take them to where they wanted to be.
"Tottenham on the other hand have a better side than Roberto had during his spell at Everton and that’s regardless of whether they keep hold of Harry Kane or not.
"Tottenham’s a good job for anybody, especially if you’re looking to get back into club football like Roberto is rumoured to be. International management tends to be better suited for older managers, but Martinez enjoys being out there every day on the training field still and that’s why I believe he could be a good fit for Tottenham if it’s true that they’re currently in discussions.”
