Erik ten Hag appears to be firmly in the running to become Tottenham's next manager following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

But who exactly is ten Hag? What's his contract situation? And what is his footballing philosophy? These will all be questions on the lips of Spurs supporters waiting to find out who Daniel Levy appoints as the club's next boss. So here's everything you need to know about ten Hag...

Who is Erik ten Hag?

Ten Hag is the current Ajax manager, and has been in charge of the club since December 2017. During his tenure, he has led the club to a league title, a Dutch Cup and the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018/19.

It is the third managerial role that he has had in the Netherlands, having previously been at the helm at Go Ahead Eagles and Utrecht. 

In between those two roles, he managed FC Bayern Munich II, gaining two years of experience working outside of his homeland.

What is Erik ten Hag's contract situation?

His contract at Ajax is set to expire next June, meaning that he is set to enter the final year of his deal in the summer.

Having been at the Dutch champions for over three years, this is already his longest stay at a single club. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that ten Hag is set to meet with Tottenham in the coming days to discuss their manager's position, and is open to leaving Ajax. 

What is Erik ten Hag's style of play?

Tottenham are believed to want a progressive coach, who will look to play attacking football. This fits in perfectly with ten Hag's philosophy. 

This season, Ajax have scored 89 goals in their 30 matches to date - 23 goals more than any other side in the division. They still have four games left to try move past 100 goals in the Eredivisie for the year.

His approach does not differ in European competitions either. On their run to the Champions League semi-finals two years ago, Ajax scored a total of 11 goals in six matches against Real Madrid, Juventus and Tottenham, demonstrating that ten Hag wants his team to take the game by the scruff of the neck, no matter the quality of the opponent.

What formation does Erik ten Hag use?

So far this season, ten Hag has almost exclusively used a 4-3-3 formation with an occasional 4-2-3-1 variation that sees one midfielder pushed further forward and two deeper-lying midfielders withdrawn.

During Ajax's run to the semi-finals of the Champions League, which eventually saw them eliminated by Tottenham, he predominately used 4-2-3-1 with Manchester United's Donny van de Beek acting as a playmaker ahead of a double pivot. 

Back in his Utretch years, however, ten Hag deployed diamond midfields and back threes, so he's by no means fixated on small variations of largely the same formation. 

What tactics does ten Hag use?

Ajax's Champions League run saw former Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic operate as a false nine to great effect, however ten Hag has also used conventional strikers such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Sebastien Haller throughout his spell in Amsterdam. 

As well as tending to favour two deeper-lying midfielders, his Ajax team has often used playmaking wide attackers such as Tadic and until last season, now-Chelsea man Hakim Ziyech.

Rather than relying on speed, they use their creativity and technical quality to come inside and cause problems. However, he has deployed more traditional, pacey wingers too such as David Neres and Quincy Promes who can run at defences or exploit the space behind them. 

He also likes his side to dominate the ball. Ajax's possession average has been almost exactly 60% in the last three Eredivisie seasons.

What has ten Hag said about Pep Guardiola?

Ten Hag has drawn comparisons between his own philosophy and Pep Guardiola's, having previously worked under the now-Manchester City boss at Bayern Munich.

He said: "I learned a lot from Guardiola. His philosophy is sensational, what he did in Barcelona, Bayern and now with Manchester City, that attacking and attractive style sees him win a lot. It’s this structure that I’ve tried to implement with Ajax."

How old is Erik ten Hag?

Ten Hag turned 51 in February, making him seven years younger, almost to the day, than Jose Mourinho, Tottenham's former manager.

He is coming towards the end of his ninth season as a manager, suggesting that he has built up sufficient experience, and is now ready to test himself in one of Europe's 'big five' leagues.

If Tottenham do opt for ten Hag as their new manager, they will have someone who has succeeded on the domestic and European stage, and has every chance of making a positive impact in the Premier League.

What other clubs has ten Hag been linked with?

Back in 2019, ten Hag was linked with a number of top clubs, namely Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The latter two clubs are hardly surprising - there has always been an overlap between Ajax's and Barcelona's philosophy, with their synonymy harking back to the days of Johan Cruyff. 

Ten Hag's style of football has even been described as "Cruyffian" and "Total Football 2.0". 

Likewise, as the former coach of Bayern Munich's second team, he will likely always be mentioned as a potential candidate for the top job at the Allianz Arena whenever it's seemingly up for grabs.