Tottenham Hotspur's manager upheaval over recent years has unsurprisingly seen them linked with a host of managers, yet the three chosen to succeed Mauricio Pochettino have all come under the same mould.

One crucial characteristic that at least two of them shared was the fact that they were winners, and the hope was that they could bring such a mentality to north London at last.

However, with the dugout once again devoid of a permanent boss and no silverware to show for it, it seems this was yet another failed venture to add to the ever-growing list.

With a new man now needed to take over from caretaker Ryan Mason come this season's conclusion, it seems that chairman Daniel Levy could be set to right the potential wrongs of his former sporting director Fabio Paratici, who pulled the plug on a move to appoint Paulo Fonseca back in 2021.

He has re-emerged as part of a long list of candidates, having excelled lately with LOSC Lille.

However, one negative attribute hovers over the Portuguese tactician that might worry fans. Some might suggest he boasts the club's DNA within him, as across a fine career, the 50-year-old has struggled on the big occasions.

How does Paulo Fonseca play?

Having overseen many philosophical shifts across his various jobs, French football has seemingly seen him revert to predominantly a 3-4-3, with the 3-4-2-1 as a supplementary ideal.

With a play style that demands possession but prefers solidity over a high press, there are shades of Antonio Conte in his current practices in Lille. Despite this, his desire to play through the middle is something which will benefit the style of Harry Kane, should he stick around long enough to reap the rewards.

Journalist and renowned transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, back before the deal fell through in 2021, offered his verdict on how Fonseca might work out at Spurs. Despite the exciting upsides, there remained plenty of downsides that could worry fans.

He claimed:

"He is perfect in the dressing room and perfect in his relationship with the players.

"He had a problem here in Italy with the top matches playing against Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Napoli and never winning a top match and it was something that was criticised by football journalists in Italy."

Despite this, European football expert Andy Brassell remained confident: "He’s a really good coach, there’s no doubt about that. He’s got a strong philosophy and likes to play attacking football."

With beautiful football on show but a soft underbelly that might still remain, it seems Fonseca could be the perfect fit to comply with Spurs' DNA, but not to change it as fans would likely desire.