Tottenham: Gennaro Gattuso now the favourite to replace Jose Mourinho with Paulo Fonseca talks OFF

Gennaro Gattuso has emerged as the shock favourite to succeed Jose Mourinho as Tottenham manager, following reports that the north London club's pursuit of Paulo Fonseca is off.

It had been widely recognised that Fonseca's move to Tottenham was all-but a done deal, with the former Roma boss the top choice of newly-acquired Managing Director of Football Fabio Paratici.

Fonseca was expected to sign a two-year deal having agreed a verbal contract, but those talks have now broken down, with Tottenham reportedly switching their attention to Gattuso instead.

Gattuso, 43, walked out of Fiorentina earlier on Thursday, despite being appointed as manager just 23 days ago.

The former Napoli boss had engaged in a dispute with the Fiorentina board regarding which players they would opt for this summer, with the club reportedly looking at more affordable players than those put forward by Jorge Mendes, Gattuso's agent.

It was Sky Sports Italia who initially broke the news of the breakdown in talks between Tottenham and Fonseca, citing 'fiscal reasons', before journalist Fabrizio Romano stated the former Roma boss had been the beneficiary of tax advantages in Italy, which would not be applicable in the United Kingdom.

However, the Evening Standard and The Telegraph have since reported that Tottenham simply opted out of the deal after Gattuso became available, with finances not relevant.

Alasdair Gold of Football London has also elaborated, stating Fonseca's team are 'completely bewildered', having held meetings throughout the week to prepare for the upcoming season.

It marks the latest twist in Tottenham's bizarre search for a new manager, having already missed out on Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochetino, Julian Nagelsmann, Brendan Rodgers and Erik ten Hag.

Gattuso, who as of late was a 999/1 outsider for the job, is now the overwhelming favourite to take the Tottenham job at 4/6.

Fonseca, who was at a low of 1/50 secure the appointment, is now only the fifth-favourite at 12/1, with Pochettino, Roberto Martinez ten Hag and Gattuso all deemed more likely candidates.

In Gattuso, Tottenham would be appointing a manager who won the Coppa Italia with Napoli in 2019-20, beating Juventus in the final.

That came after a two year trophy-less spell with AC Milan, having started his career in the dugout as player-manager of Swiss outfit Sion, after which he called an end to his playing days.

The former midfielder narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification with Napoli, however, and was consequently dismissed.

Tottenham will certainly be looking to end their spell without a manager sooner rather than later, with the Premier League season starting just 34 days following the conclusion of Euro 2020 on July 11, and with an opening-day encounter against Manchester City creeping ever closer.

As it stands, it's Gattuso who is the latest candidate at the forefront of the queue.