Darren Bent says he would like Eddie Howe to succeed Jose Mourinho as Tottenham boss, but admits anything is possible with “crazy” Daniel Levy in charge.
Ryan Mason is at the helm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the end of the season with Levy on the lookout for a permanent replacement for Mourinho.
A number of managers have been linked with the position, including former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, Ajax’s Erik ten Hag and Julian Nagelsmann, who is now known to be joining Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
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But Bent says he would like to see Spurs go after Howe, who has been out of work since leaving Bournemouth at the end of last season.
“Scott Parker would be a good one, I like him. But I really like Eddie Howe,” Bent told talkSPORT.
“I like the way he plays football and he did a fantastic job at Bournemouth. He’s available.
“Spurs did the Mauricio Pochettino thing where he rebuilt the club, got them playing really exciting football and got them to a Champions League final.
“But then they got to that four/five-year cycle where I think if Daniel Levy had invested a little bit more I think Spurs could’ve gone on…
“They need to start again. When I say start again I mean play that brand of exciting football and get someone who’s really hands-on coaching wise.
“I would really like Eddie Howe to get the Spurs job.
“Spurs fans may want a bigger name. If you start looking round the top of the Premier League, you’d have to say there are four/five teams that are ahead of them in terms of where they are as a club.
“But it’s not a quick fix so if you’re going to give it to someone like an Eddie Howe or Scott Parker you can’t expect them to go in the job straight away and get success, they need time.
“Spurs are some way off Liverpool, Manchester City or Manchester United…Leicester are miles ahead of them.”
The former Spurs striker added: “Daniel Levy is crazy so anything could be popping off!
“I’ve seen managers sacked at half time when I was down there with Martin Jol. Anything could happen.
“Whoever comes in needs to be given 2-3 years. Spurs fans need to realise that yes, they’re still a big club but in terms of winning the Premier League they’re miles off.”