Tottenham Hotspur's director of football Fabio Paratici is a big fan of the Lille manager Paulo Fonseca amid the speculation surrounding Antonio Conte.

Will Spurs need a new manager?

The future of Conte is seemingly coming to an end at some point in the coming months and it seems as if it could well be sooner rather than later.

And the north London side are already believed to have a shortlist of potential successors at hand as a result of Paratici's work in recent weeks.

Some of the names included in that list are reported to be the likes of Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino, but it seems as if another manager could well be a surprise candidate.

Indeed, speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has admitted Paratici is a big fan of Fonseca having previously attempted to bring him to N17:

"It's true, he was really more than close. He was already one step away from signing the contract as [the] new Tottenham manager, then the deal collapsed.

"He's really appreciated by Fabio Paratici, so he always had this kind of good feeling with the Italian director - we have to see if Paratici will be there at the end of the season, too.

"So this is why at the end, it's going to be a domino [effect] at Tottenham, but at the moment, what I can say is that he's not a name for now, but could be one of the options for the end of the season."

Should Spurs finally bring in Fonseca?

Spurs reportedly tried to bring in Fonseca back in 2021 in the early stages of Paratici's time in north London before appointing Nuno Espirito Santo.

It was believed the Portuguese manager was all set to put pen to paper on a three-year deal at Spurs but there were some major issues which prevented this from happening.

As a result of tax issues from his time in Italy, the deal for Fonseca collapsed.

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However, he has since made the move to France and taken on the job at Lille last summer and currently has them battling for a European slot.

Whether or not Fonseca would be the best option for Spurs remains another question on the back of what has been perhaps a slightly underwhelming campaign, with the 2021 champions 27 points off the top.

But it has to be said Fonseca has led Lille to a run of only two league defeats since October, with one of those coming away to Paris Saint-Germain.

However, it is also worth noting that the 50-year-old has predominantly played with a back four which could well see Spurs' current setup change significantly (via Transfermarkt). Meanwhile, it is worth noting he is reportedly wanted at Crystal Palace.

And given he is currently in a job with the French side, perhaps a move for Fonseca would have to wait until the summer with Lille chasing a spot in Europe.