Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has suggested that it is too early for Vincent Kompany to be considered for the Tottenham Hotspur manager job. Carragher made the comments during an appearance on The Overlap, where he gave his verdict on the Belgian amid speculation linking him to the role.
While Carragher praised Kompany as a manager and credited his achievements at Burnley, he argued that it was too soon for the former Manchester City captain to take charge of a club in the big six. He suggested that Kompany needed more time to develop his skills and improve his credentials before stepping up to such a high-profile role.
Carragher’s comments come as Tottenham continue to search for a permanent manager following the sacking of Jose Mourinho earlier this month. Kompany, who is currently in charge of Belgian club Anderlecht, has been linked with the position, along with a number of other high-profile candidates.
“It has to be a building process where you’re improving,” Carragher said. “There’s talk of Vincent Kompany and whether he could be that man. He may go on to be a great manager, but it’s far too early for him in terms of talking like this.”
Carragher went on to caution Tottenham against rushing to appoint a high-profile player as manager, citing the experiences of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who both moved into top jobs too soon. “Look at Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard who are two of the best players we’ve seen in this Premier League era, and Kompany is the same,” he said.
“It didn’t go too well for Kompany in Belgium, Burnley has been amazing. I think we need to be careful with these top players and I think it would be far too early for Vincent Kompany,” Carragher added.
Kompany has been in charge of Anderlecht since 2019, and has also spent time as a player-coach at Manchester City. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation, and has been tipped for a successful career in management.
However, as Carragher points out, there is a risk associated with appointing a high-profile player to a top job too soon. While managers like Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have been successful in this regard, others, like Gerrard and Lampard, have struggled to make the transition.
Whether or not Tottenham will take Carragher’s advice on board remains to be seen, but it is clear that the club will need to tread carefully as they look to appoint a new manager to lead them forward.