Niko Kovac head coach of Borussia Dortmund gestures
during the UEFA Champions League
JUVENTUS v BORUSSIA DORTMUND
at Juventus Stadium.
Earlier this month, Tottenham Hotspur appointed Igor Tudor as their new manager, after parting ways with Thomas Frank.
Tottenham have endured a difficult campaign, winning seven of their 27 league matches and are now 16th in the table. At the weekend, Tudor took charge in Spurs’ north London derby defeat to Arsenal at home.
The Croatian will only be in charge until the end of this season and Tottenham will then have to look for a permanent manager. John Heitinga wanted to take over from Frank, but Spurs didn’t trust him.
Bild have a report on the possibility of Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovač ending up at the Premier League side.
Earlier this week, BVB’s Champions League campaign came to an end with a 4-1 defeat to Atalanta. The newspaper focuses on what the defeat means to the Bundesliga side and mentions Tottenham as an option for Kovač.
Niko Kovač criticised after CL exit
Borussia Dortmund will miss out on €11m from UEFA following their Champions League exit.
That could slow down Nico Schlotterbeck’s renewal negotiations, while ‘criticism of coach Niko Kovač could have unforeseen consequences’. This indicates the 54-year-old could be encouraged to look towards the door.
The manager received criticism for his decisions after defeat to La Dea. He started Emre Can, who returned from an injury, and didn’t replace Ramy Bensebaini. The latter failed to have an impact against Atalanta.
Despite the criticism, the outlet insists Niko Kovač is getting the best out of the squad that’s available at his disposal. Therefore, BVB want to retain him at least until his contract expires in 2027.
Strong interest from Tottenham
At the same time, he’s attracting ‘strong interest’ from other clubs. Bild claim Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea have all shown interest during the course of the season and have made contact.
Therefore, the report says the ‘coach is demand’ in England, where Spurs and two other clubs have already expressed their interest.
Niko Kovač, for his part, can see himself moving to England, which should please Tottenham and others.
For now, the manager wants to remain focused on his task at Borussia Dortmund until the end of the season.
