Will the wait goes on to see who will be named as the next permanent manager at Tottenham Hotspur, the current belief is that Feyenoord boss, Arne Slot, is the leading candidate for the position, after guiding the Eredivisie side to a shock league triumph this season.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 44-year-old is seemingly the "frontrunner" to be Antonio Conte's long-term successor, with chairman Daniel Levy having handed the reins to Ryan Mason on a short-term basis in recent weeks.
While reportedly not related to the Lilywhites' interest in Slot, recent speculation in Holland has suggested that Spurs could aim to prise one of the Dutchman's trusted lieutenants from Rotterdam in the form of Orkun Kokcu, with the 22-year-old having captained his current side to glory this season.
As per Dutch outlet, 1908.nl, 'initial contacts' have already taken place regarding a move for the promising midfielder, with the piece also going on to note that the Netherlands-born, Turkey international is valued at around €40m (£35m).
The 5 foot 9 ace has seemingly been something of a long-term target for those at N17, with reports back in 2021 having named both Tottenham – and rivals Arsenal – as potential suitors for the youngster.
What is Orkun Kokcu's style of play?
The highly-rated "playmaker" – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – could well provide a real creative spark to Tottenham's current midfield ranks next term, having created nine big chances in 31 league games this season, far more than the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (five), Oliver Skipp (zero) and Rodrigo Bentancur (zero).
The one-time Groningen youth ace – who has 12 goals and five assists to his name this term in all competitions – could well fill the creative void left behind by Christian Eriksen in the recent past, with the Danish maestro having departed for Inter Milan in January 2020 after almost seven years in England.
During that lengthy stay with Spurs, the current Manchester United ace was routinely the man to unlock the opposition defence having chipped in with 90 assists in 305 games across all fronts, while also scoring 69 goals in that time.
As journalist Dean Jones stated last summer, the club "haven't replaced Eriksen's profile and creativity", hence the need to acquire a figure such as Kokcu who can prove a dream heir to the experienced Dane.
The young "leader" – as hailed by Kulig – no doubt possesses notable similarities to that of Eriksen, with his key traits having been described as his "passing, vision, [and] creativity", in the words of Kulig, while the ex-Spurs man has been lauded for his "intelligence" by pundit Paul Scholes.
Equally, that likeness is shown by the duo's forward-thinking midfield approach, as Kokcu has averaged 12.33 progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, while Eriksen is not too far behind having averaged 7.83 per for the same metric – albeit while performing in one of Europe's top five leagues.
With former Feyenoord boss Jaap Stam having previously suggested that the 20-cap international has "certainly got the ability to make that step to the Premier League", Levy could well pull off a real masterstroke by bringing in Kokcu alongside Slot this summer.
In doing so, the wait to find an ideal successor to former star, Eriksen, could well be brought to an end…
