One of Mikel Arteta’s oldest friends is now the favourite become new Tottenham manager

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Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have a new favourite candidate to become their next manager – Xabi Alonso – who happens to be one of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s oldest friends.

Dutch outlet De Telegraaf claim this week that the legendary Spaniard, who is at the helm at Bayer Leverkusen, has emerged as Daniel Levy’s number-one choice to become the new Spurs boss.

Xabi Alonso is a really exciting young manager, and he could well have a similar impact at Tottenham as his good pal Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal.

Tottenham manager target Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta are good friends

Alonso and Arteta both come from the Basque region in Spain.

They first met each other when they were kids at San Sebastian. They both played as midfielders for Real Sociedad and won a lot at youth level, but went their separate ways when Arteta joined Barcelona and Alonso then signed for Real Madrid.

However, their friendship didn’t end there.

Alonso revealed in 2016 that he and Arteta remained in contact. “I follow him very closely, because we have kept in touch forever,” he told Arsenal’s official YouTube channel.

Arteta is a big fan of him too. He said: “I’m proud that he’s coming from the same city, and he’s taken that name as well when he’s been at Liverpool or Real Madrid or Bayern Munich because he’s been successful everywhere.

“The way he committed himself, the way he behaves, I think he’s a great example for every kid trying to be a footballer.”

Speaking of their friendship, the Arsenal boss said: “We used to go to different schools, but we used to live five minutes away from each other.”

Arteta and Alonso were even neighbours when the two players lived in Liverpool a few years ago.

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Alonso would really be an exciting appointment for Tottenham.

The Spaniard has done a remarkable job at Bayer Leverkusen, which is his first club as a senior manager. He has lost just seven of his 31 games so far, and his side are unbeaten in their last 14 fixtures in all competitions.

Alonso really has transformed Leverkusen, and it’s great to see him being recognised by clubs like Tottenham, who are in desperate need of a manager they can trust.

Arteta and Alonso had some heated battles when they played for Everton and Liverpool in the past. That rivalry may continue now if the latter gets the Tottenham job this summer.