Former Real Madrid and Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has become a shock candidate to take over at Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham are in the hunt for their fourth permanent manager in five years in an important summer for the Lilywhites as they plan a clear out several players who have failed to secure Champions League football this season.

Xabi Alonso linked with Tottenham hot seat

And according to Sky Sports, Xabi Alonso has moved ahead of existing candidates Julian Nagelsmann, Arne Slot, and Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim, after helping guide Bayer Leverkusen to an impressive sixth in the Bundesliga and a Europa League Semi-Final against Roma later this month.

Alonso joined the club last October after Swiss manager Gerardo Seoane was sacked after one win in Leverkusen’s first eight matches left the club second bottom in the Bundesliga. Since then, Alonso has won 17 out of his 31 matches in charge of a club that could be set for their first European trophy since 1988.