Luis Enrique, the former head coach of Spain and Barcelona, has expressed his interest in managing in the Premier League. However, he has suggested that he is not in the running to become Tottenham’s next manager. The 52-year-old resigned from Spain’s national side following their World Cup campaign in Qatar and is currently available for a new role. Tottenham are currently searching for a new manager after parting ways with Antonio Conte on Sunday, and Luis Enrique is one of the names on Spurs’ shortlist alongside Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked by Bayern Munich last week.
Luis Enrique has also been linked with a move to Chelsea if the club decides to sack Graham Potter at the end of the season. However, he insists he will hold out for the right opportunity. “Since the World Cup finished I haven’t read the Spanish press, I haven’t looked at social networks, I only read the English press,” Enrique told SER Gijon on Wednesday. “You can’t pretend or like everyone or control what they say about you. The important thing is to be calm and enjoy the things you like. I would like to go to England to work. But I don’t see myself in the Premier League in July because I would like to go to a team there that can do important things and that is very difficult.”
Enrique added that he has had offers from national teams but not from clubs. “It would have to be a very important team to take it, although it would be very difficult for me to face Spain. I don’t know if I would be ready.”
Enrique’s comments come after Tottenham’s search for a new manager took a twist on Wednesday when reports emerged that they had held talks with former boss Mauricio Pochettino about a sensational return to the club. Pochettino left Tottenham for Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021 but has struggled to replicate the success he enjoyed in north London.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s interim head coach Ryan Mason has called on his players to “finish the season strongly” after they secured a 2-0 win over Wolves on Sunday. Mason, who took over from Jose Mourinho last month, said: “We’ve got two games left and we want to finish the season strongly. We want to give the fans something to cheer about and we want to finish as high up the table as possible.”
Tottenham’s next game is against Aston Villa on Wednesday, before they face Leicester City on the final day of the season. The club is currently seventh in the Premier League table, three points behind sixth-placed West Ham United.