Tottenham are confident of installing a new manager as early as next week with Mauricio Pochettino the leading contender to take over at White Hart Lane.

The Argentine is thought to be the favoured candidate of chairman Daniel Levy as Tottenham seek to finalise the package they would offer to Southampton to release Pochettino from his contract, which still has one year to run.

While Levy is attracted by the idea of having Pochettino, 42, as his ninth permanent manager in 13 years, it is understood that not everybody in the Spurs hierarchy is completely sold on the notion.

Indeed, it is thought some are trying to persuade Levy to look more seriously at two other candidates, thought to be Ajax head coach Frank De Boer and Napoli boss Rafael Benitez, a former Liverpool and Chelsea manager. There could also be an ambitious move for Carlo Ancelotti if Real Madrid lose Saturday’s Champions League Final against city rivals Atletico and he is sacked.

Tottenham season review 5 show all Tottenham season review 1/5 The manager Andre Villas-Boas/Tim Sherwood. Much was expected of AVB in his second season at the helm but sterile football and poor decisions off the field - such as his bizarre criticism of health professionals after Hugo Lloris' head injury at Everton in October - meant the writing was on the wall. Sherwood's team took 42 points from 22 games but he never won the full backing of the board. Getty 2/5 Main man Hugo Lloris. The France captain established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in England thanks to a series of outstanding performances. Working with an unreliable defence that often changed from week to week, Lloris' form never dipped. Paris St Germain are said to be interested and Spurs could struggle to hang on to him. Getty 3/5 Best buy Christian Eriksen. The Danish playmaker can reflect on an excellent first season in English football. He quickly became a leader of the team as well as the main creative force. The £11million fee paid to Ajax was an excellent deal for Spurs and, at just 22, his influence and value will surely grow rapidly. Getty 4/5 Best result Manchester United 1 Tottenham 2 Getty 5/5 Worst result Manchester City 6 Tottenham 0 Getty 1/5 The manager Andre Villas-Boas/Tim Sherwood. Much was expected of AVB in his second season at the helm but sterile football and poor decisions off the field - such as his bizarre criticism of health professionals after Hugo Lloris' head injury at Everton in October - meant the writing was on the wall. Sherwood's team took 42 points from 22 games but he never won the full backing of the board. Getty 2/5 Main man Hugo Lloris. The France captain established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in England thanks to a series of outstanding performances. Working with an unreliable defence that often changed from week to week, Lloris' form never dipped. Paris St Germain are said to be interested and Spurs could struggle to hang on to him. Getty 3/5 Best buy Christian Eriksen. The Danish playmaker can reflect on an excellent first season in English football. He quickly became a leader of the team as well as the main creative force. The £11million fee paid to Ajax was an excellent deal for Spurs and, at just 22, his influence and value will surely grow rapidly. Getty 4/5 Best result Manchester United 1 Tottenham 2 Getty 5/5 Worst result Manchester City 6 Tottenham 0 Getty

Beyond Pochettino, Levy is thought to be more interested in De Boer than Benitez and is expected to meet with his fellow decision-makers in the coming days to determine who is the club’s No1 choice to succeed Tim Sherwood. Southampton will still offer Pochettino a new deal but the reality is that the club appear resigned to losing their head coach, as well as his Spanish-speaking staff — assistant Jesus Perez, first-team coach Miguel D’Agostino, goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez and technical support coach Fran Alonso.

Spurs would be required to find a settlement for the contracts of Pochettino and his staff, which are thought to be worth about £4million a year — the most likely stumbling block at this stage. Pochettino is chasing an annual salary of about £3m if he is offered the job at White Hart Lane, as well as pay rises for his support team.

It is thought he is happy to work within Spurs’s current structure, involving a technical director to provide the link between the boardroom and the training ground. Currently, that man is Franco Baldini.

Spurs are confident there should not be too much wrangling with Southampton to secure Pochettino, as Saints have already sounded out other managers. Standard Sport understands that Oscar Garcia, the Spaniard who quit as Brighton boss earlier this month, has had a number of conversations with intermediaries and that both Dan Petrescu and Roberto Di Matteo have supporters at St Mary’s. Garcia also has interest from Spain, where a number of managerial roles are up for grabs, but it is thought he would prefer to stay in England, where his family are settled.

As of today, De Boer’s representatives had received no further contact from Spurs since the original approach last month and neither had Ajax. De Boer’s contract does not expire until 2017 and if the Dutch champions are to lose him, they would like the matter resolved quickly. There is little appetite for a period of uncertainty extending far into the summer.