{"id":553229,"date":"2026-03-30T00:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T00:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/553229\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T00:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T00:08:08","slug":"van-de-ven-second-player-manager-option-after-ben-davies-on-spurs-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/553229\/","title":{"rendered":"Van de Ven second player-manager option after Ben Davies on Spurs list"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Igor Tudor\u2019s gone and ENIC are now scrambling to source a new interim manager for Tottenham having come to terms with the fact that no right-minded permanent option would come anywhere near them right now.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/tottenham-player-manager-seven-interim-options-replace-tudor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A shortlist featuring your inevitable Knows The Club lads also threw up a surprise name<\/a> as Tottenham envelop the masses in a delightful coat of 90s nostalgia through the possibility of appointing a Premier League player-manager.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Davies is the man being considered but which other members of this downcast group of relegation battlers could take on the role?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve ranked the whole squad by player-manager merit, from least to most.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>28) Souza<\/p>\n<p>We doubt his English lessons will feature the requisite swears for him to scream from the touchline as Xavi Simons cedes possession for the 427th time.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>27) Randal Kolo Muani<\/p>\n<p>Unlikely to be hugely invested during what will surely be his final two months at Tottenham.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>26) Wilson Odobert<\/p>\n<p>Could he regret his early season vow to \u201ctake on more responsibility\u201d. No.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>25) Xavi Simons<\/p>\n<p>Almost certainly wants Tottenham to get relegated so he can leave with his reputation still somewhat in tact.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/opinion-tottenham-tudor-mess-next-davies-dyche-de-zerbi\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tottenham move on from latest f***ing mess \u2013 so what\u2019s the next f***ing mess?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>24) Mathys Tel<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t wanna be here, you don\u2019t wanna be here, but we\u2019re stuck here and I don\u2019t want a 50 per cent wage cut to play in the Championship next season.\u201d It could work.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>23) Radu Dragusin<\/p>\n<p>Can\u2019t be having a Premier League manager sporting a topknot.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>22) Destiny Udogie<\/p>\n<p>Not his fate.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>21) Yves Bissouma<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s got plenty of experience both at Spurs and in the Premier League in general but his contract\u2019s up at the end of the season and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/tottenham-man-yves-bissouma-transfer-fulham\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">he\u2019s wanted out for a while<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/who-will-be-tottenham-manager-next-season-pochettino-the-favourite\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Who will be Spurs manager next season? Top target clear as Tudor exit confirmed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>20) Mohamed Kudus<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re not sure his reasonable insistence that all teammates just give him the ball when he returns from injury will go down all that well with the majority.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>19) Guglielmo Vicario<\/p>\n<p>Already well-versed in the boos that are sure to come his way at half-time vs Sunderland in his first game in charge. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/tottenham-premier-league-teasing-hastily-deleted-vicario-tweet\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Premier League social media team would have an absolute field day<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>18) Dejan Kulusevski<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s had enough time to ponder the problems at Spurs from the sidelines and will presumably have come to the conclusion \u2013 along with the rest of us \u2013 that his absence is a big factor in their struggles. It might not be quite enough just to rush himself back from injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>17) Richarlison<\/p>\n<p>We look forward to him removing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt in celebration of an offside goal.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>16) Pedro Porro<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/pedro-porro-smashes-everything-in-real-headloss-but-didnt-berate-tudor-on-touchline\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u2018Smashes\u2019 sh*t<\/a> and not averse to giving anyone a kicking in interviews, though Tudor has shown that\u2019s perhaps not the best route to go down with these Spurs softies.<\/p>\n<p>Unlikely to be a favourite among the Tottenham hierarchy having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/tottenham-pedro-porro-slams-project-disaster\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">described their project as a \u2018disaster\u2019<\/a>, but we would be fascinated to see just how much fan-geeing he does from the touchline given his penchant for arm-waving on the pitch when Spurs win an attacking throw-in.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>15) Lucas Bergvall<\/p>\n<p>You will struggle to find a scouting report of Bergvall which doesn\u2019t include some reference to his high football IQ. It\u2019s a overarching term to cover all manner of football things beyond the basics and we assume sets him up beautifully to manage a Premier League football team at the age of 20.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>14) Brandon Austin<\/p>\n<p>Feels like he should be a contender purely on the basis of third goalkeepers doing sod all and thus having plenty of time to contemplate tactics and the like. But third goalkeepers are also clearly very comfortable getting paid quite a lot \u2013 \u00a315k per week in Austin\u2019s case \u2013 for doing very little.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>13) Dominic Solanke<\/p>\n<p>Richarlison wouldn\u2019t get a look in and what better way to secure a place on Thomas Tuchel\u2019s England plane than playing every minute, receiving no service and therefore scoring no goals for Tottenham?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>12) Antonin Kinsky<\/p>\n<p>Assuming his career as a footballer was indeed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/news\/tudor-sack-spurs-career-killed-kinsky-champions-league-atletico\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ended by Igor Tudor in Madrid<\/a> he may as well turn his gloveless hand to management.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>11) Djed Spence<\/p>\n<p>Tottenham are on to an absolute winner if Spence can instil the confidence in the rest of the squad that he has in himself.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>10) Conor Gallagher<\/p>\n<p>The perfect end to his undercover masterplan as a Chelsea agent of Tottenham doom: go to Spurs via 18 months at Atletico Madrid; do nothing on the pitch to help them into a relegation battle; seal the deal from the touchline.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>9) Rodrigo Bentancur<\/p>\n<p>Would pass the \u2018looks good in a suit\u2019 acid test with flying colours and our guess is the Spurs fans would take great solace in going down in The Right Way playing some attractive but futile football.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>8) Kevin Danso<\/p>\n<p>The antidote to the Arsenal-supporting manager he must have endured through gritted teeth for much of the season having warmed Tottenham hearts with his response to Arsenal\u2019s title charge: \u201cI couldn\u2019t care less about what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>7) Archie Gray<\/p>\n<p>His position in this ranking says plenty about him as a footballer showing maturity beyond his tender age but far more about the rest of his don\u2019t-give-a-sh*t teammates.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>6) James Maddison<\/p>\n<p>Typically in the Spoke Well category of post-match interviewees and came across as A Thinker Of The Game if maybe not a hugely deep one during a Monday Night Football appearance in December. A Tim Sherwood for the TikTok generation and that\u2019s not meant as quite such a slight as it sounds.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>5) Pape Matar Sarr<\/p>\n<p>A strong candidate thanks to what appear to be plenty of on-pitch smarts but also because his father Sidate is a manager in Senegal and used to be goalkeeping coach for the Senegal national team.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>4) Cristian Romero<\/p>\n<p>If the Spurs hierarchy remain convinced as they were when they appointed Tudor that the best way to avoid relegation is through a manager who\u2019s going to challenge players and ruffle feathers in the squad then here\u2019s a man who would tear out those feathers with his teeth and spit them at the now crying, balding cockerel sitting next to him.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.football365.com\/tag\/cristian-romero\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Romero<\/a> certainly feels\u00a0like a future manager having been tipped to leave for Tottenham for Atletico Madrid due to what many deem to be a reunion with long-lost father and Argentinian firebrand Diego Simone.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>3) Joao Palhinha<\/p>\n<p>Benefits a huge amount in this ranking from being an older member of the squad who plays in a position that tends to breed future football managers, which is absolutely good enough for Spurs.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2) Micky van de Ven<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt one point, we just walked up to the gaffer and said that we need to change some things and play more defensive sometimes. We played away at Frankfurt and were 1-0 up, and we can\u2019t keep attacking, we just need to come back and have a low block and make sure we get the three points.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe sat with him and he agreed with us on some things and he told us that he expected us two guys to sort this on the pitch \u2013 to make sure that this is something everybody knows and to speak to everybody on the pitch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said to me and Cuti personally that we need to make sure the other guys listen to us, that we have a reputation in the team and everyone respects us, so make sure the guys follow what we say on the pitch. So, Cuti and I were just screaming at everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I.e. Van de Ven and Romero coached Tottenham to Europa League glory.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1) Ben Davies<\/p>\n<p>Premier League player-managers were typically bit-part players when they were a thing roughly three decades ago and Davies is the bittest of bit-part players at Tottenham. He both Knows The Club and the Premier League as they are now. One would expect\/hope he would have the respect of his teammates as someone with 363 appearances for the club. He\u2019s got his UEFA A coaching licence. And perhaps more crucial than those other factors in his favour \u2013 he\u2019s about the only person in the club who seems to actually care about Tottenham.<\/p>\n<p>Davies essentially ticks all the boxes other than the admittedly quite crucial one of managing a football team. Of all the mad options \u2013 and they\u2019re all mad for one or more reasons \u2013 he might be a relatively sane appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Igor Tudor\u2019s gone and ENIC are now scrambling to source a new interim manager for Tottenham having come&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553230,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[403,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-553229","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-soccer","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}