Austrian coach Adi Hütter has opened up on his decision to step away from coaching until the summer and addressed the links to Tottenham Hotspur that surfaced during his break.
Speaking to 90 Minuten, the former Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt and AS Monaco coach explained why he rejected multiple opportunities to break into management, including interest from Tottenham.
Why Hütter refused any mid‑season job
Adi Hütter is currently a free agent after leaving AS Monaco in October last year. He had been in charge of the Ligue 1 side since July 2023.
He then went on to a second-placed finish in his first season and qualification for the Champions League. Last season he guided them to third and the Champions League again. A poor start to this season, though, saw Monaco decide to go in a different direction.
There’s been plenty of interest since, including from Tottenham before they appointed Roberto de Zerbi. But Hütter admits he wasn’t interested in being a “firefighter”.
“It’s true that you have to process being released from your contract,” he said.
“You have to reflect on why it happened that way and what you could have done better. That takes time. What I absolutely dislike is playing the role of a firefighter.”
He had already turned down a firefighting job in the Premier League before Monaco and wasn’t interested in it this time around either.
“Before I went to Monaco, I could have stepped in as a firefighter in England, but I declined,” he added.
“When you arrive somewhere where things are in crisis, you never have the opportunity to develop you’re playing philosophy in ten or twelve games. You have to adopt a completely different approach to coaching and management. That was never what I wanted.”
Tottenham interest addressed
Various reports linked him with the Tottenham job as they sought a replacement for Igor Tudor. Spurs eventually appointed Roberto de Zerbi, after Adi Hütter went public with his lack of interest.
That was out of character for him anyway, as he admitted that he’s not the type to broadcast every bit of interest in his services.
“I’ve been linked with Lazio and Tottenham Hotspur. Of course, I could say: It’s an honor to be a topic of discussion with these clubs,” he admitted.
“I’m not the type to broadcast every inquiry, every discussion. That’s not my style, and I don’t think it’s fair to the clubs.
“I understand every club that doesn’t want to have to moderate a coaching discussion. That’s why such matters are always discussed internally.”
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