Tottenham Hotspur's recent appointments have been uninspiring in execution but did admittedly seem like enthralling captures at the time.

To first tempt Jose Mourinho, and later Antonio Conte to north London, marked a huge coup for a side that have not won a trophy since 2008. These serial winners were expected to transform the mindset within the club, yet both have already moved on, and Daniel Levy's search has restarted.

Few could have predicted them both to fail so miserably, however the coach that came between them was a far less surprising flop.

Swooping for Nuno Espirito Santo, who had left Wolverhampton Wanderers that summer, the Lilywhites welcomed a hard-headed leader with little history of success in an effort to recapture their identity.

With a tenure lasting just 17 games, the Portuguese boss clearly failed in that venture.

Tottenham manager news – Ruben Amorim enters the frame

Now, with their search once again rumbling on, the Spurs chairman could be set to repeat this failure with his compatriot Ruben Amorim, who continues to be linked with the vacancy in Portuguese media.

Despite being widely regarded as one of Europe's hottest young coaches, his style of play draws fearsome similarities with the 49-year-old who now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia.

How does Ruben Amorim play?

Employing a 3-4-3, closely mirroring Nuno, the 38-year-old instead opts to defend the space rather than go man for man. Whilst this could leave gaps, if the players all subscribe to the method, it can prove incredibly fruitful.

Across his tenure at Sporting CP, which has spanned 158 matches, his team have waltzed to 106 victories, scoring 308 and conceding just 141. However, current Porto boss Sérgio Conceição gave his verdict on a style that might not be as free-flowing as these statistics suggest.

He claimed:

"Sporting is a very pragmatic team that knows what it wants. They are a team that defends with a lot of people, because the squad is aware that it is necessary to defend itself to win games. Sometimes simplicity is the most difficult to counter."

Whilst this has given way to a league title among other honours, it might not be enough for the Premier League, should he make the move this summer.

Spurs' squad have already proven that this kind of defensive solidity does not comply with them, and for all Amorim's successes, it might not be a perfect marriage to move to north London.

In fact, the similarities with Nuno will surely petrify supporters of the club, at the prospect that this fellow Portuguese manager could come in and enact similar horrors to their last one.