‘Tottenham is an attractive job, every manager knows it’s a big club’
Ryan Mason has rejected suggestion the Tottenham manager’s job is no longer attractive.
Spurs parted company with Antonio Conte two months ago and seem no closer to finding his permanent replacement after Arne Slot pledged his future to Feyenoord this week.
Slot, who signed a new deal with the Eredivisie champions on Friday, had become favourite for the role but joins Roberto De Zerbi, Vincent Kompany and Xabi Alonso in committing to their current teams.
Mason, in his second caretaker role at his boyhood club in two years, insists there is still plenty of prestige with being Tottenham boss despite the prospect of no European football next season and with no director of football in place.
“It’s Tottenham Hotspur, it’s a big club,” he said.
“Not just for managers or coaches, but for staff members, for players. Anyone here should feel the privilege and honour to represent the badge. If they don’t, then they shouldn’t be here. It is as simple as that.
“Maybe these people you might be mentioning, I don’t know who because I’ve not been looking at the press, but if their name is out there, they are not exactly moving themselves away from it.
“They know it is a big club. They know if Tottenham and their name is being linked, it is a massive positive for them. It is a big club, we know it is. Every manager and every coach knows it is a big club, players do, fans do.
“You can really feel it when you are here, when you are in our stadium. This will stay a big club and will be attractive for whoever is in charge next season. I am sure players as well will want to come here.”
From the outside Spurs feels a club going backwards with Harry Kane approaching the final year of his contract and no clear philosophy in place.
It has contributed to fans’ frustration growing towards chairman Daniel Levy, who promised in last week’s programme notes to bring back “on-pitch success” and a style of football fans will “love” to witness.
Tottenham will miss out on qualifying for the Europa Conference League unless they can better the results of Aston Villa and Brentford this weekend when they visit relegation-threatened Leeds.
“Any European competition is important for a club this size,” Mason said.
“At the same time, the most important thing regardless of whether we’re in or out of Europe is that there is a plan and there is commitment from everyone to that going forward.
“I think (uncertainty) has probably translated far too much to the outside world than what it should have done and maybe that has affected the players.
“It could have easily been very different in terms of the results, but that’s football.”
