Daniel Levy is risking further fury from the Tottenham Hotspur faithful as his search for their next manager appears to be drawing to a close...

What's the word?

According to The Times' chief sports correspondent Matt Lawton, Spurs are in advanced talks with Paulo Fonseca over their vacant role and is now thought to be the first-choice candidate to become the head coach.

The 48-year-old is believed to be the chosen option of incoming sporting director Fabio Paratici, who is set to be announced in the coming days after his departure from Juventus, where he won 19 trophies in 11 years.

Fonseca recently departed AS Roma after they hired Jose Mourinho as his successor in May.

Worse than Gross

Spurs have certainly struggled in their pursuit to find their next permanent manager.

The North London outfit were initially linked to Julain Naglesmann, who opted to join Bayern Munich from RB Leipzig and then to Brendan Rodgers, who would prefer to stay at FA Cup winners Leicester City.

They also held talks with ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino over a sensational return, whilst Antonio Conte was on the verge of becoming their next boss before a move collapsed at the 11th hour over numerous concerns from both parties.

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This appointment is a monumental one as Levy and the club's hierarchy have come under intense pressure from supporters in recent months, all kickstarted by their botched plans to form a European Super League.

Since that fell through, many have protested against the chairman, as well as the ENIC Group, and this has merely been the culmination of underperformance, underachievement, and a lack of ambition on their part.

It seems that plenty of these fans are against the idea of Fonseca, which means there's a serious risk of further apathy around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season. Things could quickly turn sour if they do not get off to a good start, especially if Harry Kane seals his desired exit.

On social media, the Lilywhites faithful have been reacting to the news that the Portuguese looks set to become their next manager and it's led to some calls suggesting that this would be an even worse appointment than Christian Gross in 1997.

Perhaps there are some similarities to be had with then, to now, as Fonseca has never managed in the Premier League yet has won titles and silverware in countries like Ukraine and Portugal.

Gross had won two Swiss league titles prior to his arrival but was a bizarre choice from Alan Sugar as he looked to follow Spurs' arch-rivals Arsenal and Chelsea with foreign appointments.

One Tottenham supporter said the potential arrival of Fonseca was "worse" than when Gross was hired, claiming that the club was a "joke," whilst "embarrassing" and "cheap" were other phrases used to describe the news.

The 48-year-old has just left Roma having failed to guide them past fifth place in the Italian top-flight, they were also well-beaten by Manchester United in the Europa League, and he won just 52% of games in charge - the same as Mourinho at Spurs.

On the above evidence, Levy is about to open a can of worms in North London, with a manager that has recently been described as "abysmal."

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold issues major claim on Spurs' manager search that'll leave fans furious...