Ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel's stance revealed amid links to Tottenham Hotspur job

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is open to the prospect of replacing Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur, as per the Evening Standard.

The Italian tactician is struggling to string together a run of promising results at the moment. Spurs have won just thrice in their last eight games across competitions.

This included an embarrassing 2-0 north London derby defeat against Arsenal on January 15. Given Conte's reputation and domestic achievements in the past with clubs such as Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Juventus, it would be a surprise if Spurs let him go.

However, the Italian tactician may not be keen to continue at the club beyond this season. His contract expires in June and he is yet to put pen to paper on fresh terms with the Lilywhites.

If he doesn't continue with Tottenham, then Tuchel will reportedly be happy to step up to the plate and replace him. His past connections with the Stamford Bridge outfit will apparently offer no hindrance to Tuchel's decision.

Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as the west London outfit's manager in January 2021 and won the UEFA Champions League title in his first season. However, after a string of unimpressive results, he was sacked in September last year.

The club's new owner, Todd Boehly, opted to replace him with former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter. Tuchel has been on a break from football since then but could be interested in returning to management in the near future.

It remains to be seen if Spurs fans will take kindly to his appointment if he were to take over the helm at N17. However, Daniel Levy has appointed four former Chelsea managers as Tottenham's head coaches in the past, namely Glenn Hoddle, Andre Villas-Boas, Jose Mourinho, and Conte.

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Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur both want Leeds United star

Meanwhile, both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are keen on signing 22-year-old Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier, as per journalist Darren Lewis.

He told the Last Word on Spurs podcast on YouTube (h/t The Boot Room):

"One name that I’ve heard (for Spurs), to be fair he has admirers up and down the Premier League, is Meslier at Leeds. He’s a young keeper. Bayern Munich are really big fans of him, Chelsea like him too. Lot of people like him."

Spurs are arguably more in need of a first-team goalkeeper given Hugo Lloris' situation. The 36-year-old has been error-prone in recent years and is in the final 18 months of his contract at the club.

The Blues, meanwhile, have Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga vying for minutes under Potter.

Meslier, who has kept just three clean sheets in 19 games across competitions this season, is contracted until June 2026 at Elland Road.