Tottenham Hotspur cult hero Rafael van der Vaart has told BBC Sport of his surprise at Cristian Stellini becoming Spurs interim manager.
The North Londoners parted company with Antonio Conte in March, following his dramatic post-Southampton press conference.
However, Conte was one of only two staff departures from Tottenham, alongside brother Gianluca, as per The Athletic.
This is in contrast with Jose Mourinho’s sacking, which saw his entire backroom team leave Spurs with him.
On that occasion, Ryan Mason was promoted to caretaker manager.
This time round, Stellini has taken the interim reins, while Mason will assist the Italian.
“It’s always like this,” Van der Vaart told BBC Sport.
“They have a contract and when the club gives you the chance to take the job, of course he wants it,” he added.
“I’m a little bit surprised because Ryan Mason took the job a few years ago and has much more experience, I think.
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“The players know him, he knows the club perfectly and I really thought they would go for that choice.”
Our view
Tottenham’s decision to keep Stellini on – and the coach staying put – looked surprising at first, but it makes sense.
Most of Stellini’s coaching career has been spent working with Conte.
This is now his chance to carve out a name for himself and potentially land a job as manager elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Tottenham seem keen on balancing a need for change with a sense of continuity and stability.
As per The Athletic, Stellini is popular with the players and “not volatile like Conte is”.
However, the tactics are likely to be similar, which in theory should ensure little to no upheaval for the players.
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