Jurgen Klinsmann boasts strong ties to Tottenham from his playing days and says "anything is possible" after seeing his name added to the pot of potential successors to Jose Mourinho.
Spurs find themselves in the market for a new manager after parting company with a high-profile Portuguese coach that failed to win over his doubters across 17 months in north London.
Various candidates have been linked with a prominent Premier League post, including Julian Nagelsmann and Maurizio Sarri, with former Germany, Bayern Munich and USMNT boss Klinsmann one of those said to be in the frame.
What has been said?
Klinsmann, who took in two spells with Spurs as a player and has suggested he is open to a new management role after severing ties with Hertha Berlin in February 2020, has told ESPN FC: "I tell you, anything is possible in life.
"I never thought I would coach Germany at a World Cup. I never thought I would coach the USA for six years or Bayern Munich. So we’ll see in a couple of months who will be the Spurs manager!"
Mourinho's departure
Spurs sacked Mourinho a matter of days before they are due to take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final - with a first trophy in 13 years up for grabs.
On that big call, which came amid criticism of the Portuguese's methods, Klinsmann said: "Well obviously it’s a huge, huge decision.
"The timing as well – a couple of days before the cup final – they wanted to send out a signal that it wasn’t going in the right direction.
"Daniel Levy cut the rope and will figure out what to do over the next couple of months. It was definitely a decision about Jose in terms of his style of play and what the Spurs fans want to see.
"From where they are in the Premier League you can still justify certain things because they are two points away from the Champions League now.
"But what they wanted was to go for the title and they were doing that at the start of the season. They were up there for a little while and then they dropped month by month and Levy has pulled the plug.
"They really need to get into the Champions League. If they win the final then awesome, it’s nice to have a little piece of silverware, but it’s crucial to get into the Champions League."
Klinsmann's coaching record
The 1990 World Cup winner took charge of Germany in 2004 and led them to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, with third place ultimately secured at that tournament.
He then went on to take the reins of Bayern in 2008, but lasted less than a year with the Bundesliga giants and left with them sat third in the table - winning just 25 of his 44 games in charge.
America was Klinsmann's next port of call, with 55 victories taken in with the United States from 98 games across a five-year spell, with another World Cup finals graced in 2014.
The last entry on the 56-year-old's CV is another short-lived one, with just 10 weeks spent in charge of Hertha - with three wins, four draws and four defeats overseen in the German capital.
Further reading
- Spurs owner 'only half-interested' - Redknapp
- 'You don't get anything from him' - Bridge on Mourinho's management
- EXCLUSIVE: Klinsmann on Hertha exit & future plans