Possible Replacements for Tottenham Hotspur Boss Andre Villas-Boas

As you certainly know by now, Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur.

Managing the club in tonight's Capital One Cup match against West Ham United is former Spurs player and Technical Coordinator Tim Sherwood, and according to Greg Stobart at Goal.com, the job may remain his in the long term.

But the Tottenham brass will certainly be exploring as many options as possible in finding a permanent replacement for the troubled Villas-Boas, who now sports two Premier League failures alongside a terrific tenure at FC Porto on his coaching resume.

Here are five of those options.

Fabio Capello

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The Russian national team boss is currently without a club post

Current Post: Russian National Team

Career Statistics (club): 14 seasons, 311-164-79 (56.1% winning)

Milan. Roma. Real Madrid. Juventus. Fabio Capello has led some of the most storied clubs in world football to significant success, including five Serie A titles, two La Liga championships and one UEFA Champions League title. Add to that one European Super Cup, and the Supercoppa Italia, four times.

And now he's being mentioned as a possibility to right the ship at White Hart Lane.

He's by far the most experienced coach on this list, and his history of working with current Tottenham Technical Director Franco Baldini makes this an easy supposition.

But he's got the 2014 World Cup to plan for, and the Russian team look like a good bet to survive to the knockout stage after their draw into a relatively light Group H. At 67 years of age, how long would Capello stick around the Lane? A few seasons at most, one would have to guess.

If Levy & Co. are looking for a long-term solution, for their own Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, they'll need to look elsewhere.

Frank De Boer

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Ajax boss de Boer is young, but a possible long-term solution for Levy & Co.

Current Post: AFC Ajax, Dutch Eredivisie

Career Statistics: Four seasons, 82-26-27 (60.7% winning)

Ajax boss and Dutch national de Boer is on Tottenham's radar according to Mark Brus of Sports Direct News.

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The 43-year-old is regarded as one of the most promising young coaches in Europe at the moment, having guided Ajax to three consecutive league titles in the Eredivisie.

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De Boer had a legendary playing career, earning five Eredivisie titles, a Champions League title and one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Super Cup with Ajax before winning La Liga as a member of FC Barcelona.

Add his playing and managerial careers together, and that's eight Eredivisie titles in 14 tries.

While de Boer's success has come exclusively outside of the Big Four European football leagues, he has still succeeded at the challenges presented to him. His combination of youth and track record will make him an attractive candidate to Chairman Daniel Levy.

Mauricio Pochettino

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Pochettino has reinvigorated the game at St. Mary's. Could he do the same at the Lane?

Current Post: Southampton FC, English Premier League

Career Statistics: Four seasons, 65-51-80 (33.2% winning)

After three seasons at La Liga side RCD Espanyol, where he played most of his career as a centre-back, the Argentine made the move to Southampton during last January's transfer window.

He's got Southampton relevant again, and looking to finish in the top half of the table in only their second season back in the Premier League.

In fact, under Pochettino's stewardship, Saints started the season earning 22 points in their first 11 matches, losing only once during that span. The players seem to react well to him, and if he could bring that magic touch to Tottenham Hotspur, it could make all the difference with this talented, but disjointed side.

Vincenzo Montella

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Is Fiorentina's young manager ready for a move to England?

Current Post: ACF Fiorentina, Italian Serie A

Career Statistics: Four seasons, 58-30-33 (47.9% winning)

The man known as "The Little Airplane" during his playing years hasn't yet been mentioned in the press as a target of the Tottenham Hotspur board. But perhaps he should be?

A smart football mind, Montella took Fiorentina to a fourth place finish in Serie A in his first season, just two points below Milan for Champions League qualification, after the club finished 13th the year before his arrival.

His squad is performing well again, in a season that has so far seen many of the league's traditional powers (including Inter, Lazio and Milan) falter and underperform.

Like many of the managers on this list, Montella does not have much managing experience, but if the Tottenham board is looking for someone to bet on for the long term, he's another possible candidate.

Murat Yakin

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BASEL, SWITZERLAND - NOVEMBER 26: Basel Coach Murat Yakin smiles during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between FC Basel 1893 and Chelsea at St. Jakob-Park on November 26, 2013 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

Current Post: FC Basel, Swiss Super League

Career Statistics: Seven seasons, 107-63-54 (47.8% winning)

Swiss-Turkish former centre-back and current FC Basel head coach Murat Yakin has already admitted that Tottenham Hotspur have contacted him, so he needs to be considered highly among Villas-Boas' potential replacements.

While the extent of his career as manager has been in the Swiss Super League, currently the 13th most-competitive European league by UEFA Coefficient, he does have more experience than most of the names being mentioned for consideration. More experience, in fact, than Andre Villas-Boas.

At just 39 years old, Yakin could make the jump from his hometown club to the big leagues, and if successful (and at the whim of chairman Daniel Levy) could leave his stamp on Tottenham Hotspur for a long time.