Tottenham interested in Schmidt – the coach who left Vertonghen in tears

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Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Roger Schmidt should Antonio Conte decide that he is not going to renew his contract in North London, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

The Athletic recently suggested that Spurs are in talks with Conte over a new deal. They are in a strong position. Daniel Levy reportedly believes that the Italian is the best coach he has worked with. And Tottenham have the option already in place to extend those terms.

But it seems that they are keeping themselves prepared for all possibilities, including identifying potential successors in case he leaves.

Tottenham interested in Roger Schmidt – the coach who left Vertonghen in tears

And the latest name to be linked with the post is Schmidt, according to Galetti.

Schmidt is yet to manage in England. But he has worked in Austria, Germany, China, the Netherlands and Portugal. He took charge of Benfica earlier this year.

He has enjoyed some success and boasts an extremely impressive record at Estadio da Luz so far. Like Tottenham, they are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League as group-winners after a dramatic final day win.

But perhaps he may be best known to Spurs fans as the manager who left Tottenham hero Jan Vertonghen in tears earlier this year when the Belgian left Benfica for Anderlecht at the end of the summer window.

Vertonghen wanted to stay in Portugal. However, it would appear that Schmidt made it clear to him that he wished to move him on, judging by his comments about the day he left.

“On the morning of August 31st, my manager called me about Anderlecht’s offer and I declined. I was on my way to training at Benfica and I was supposed to call him in the afternoon,” he said, as reported by the Daily Mail.

“Then I spoke to the coach and everything changed. I was on the pitch with tears in my eyes, I wanted to stay in Lisbon and I saw all my stability crumbling.

“I don’t want to go into too much detail, but after that conversation I realised it wasn’t going to work.”

It is not clear how Vertonghen feels about Schmidt personally. But it would appear that the German is not afraid to make ruthless decisions.

That may not be enough to convince Tottenham fans. If Conte does leave, they will want the best name possible to come in. And there would be doubts about whether Schmidt is that.

But clearly, he is someone with belief in what he wants – much like Conte. And he would relish the chance if he did indeed end up getting the opportunity.