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Football gossip: Roberto de Zerbi, Glenn Hoddle, Robbie Keane, Scott McTominay, Phil Foden

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Football gossip: Roberto de Zerbi, Glenn Hoddle, Robbie Keane, Scott McTominay, Phil Foden - BBC
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Several names - including those of two former club heroes - are in the running to take the reins at Tottenham, while Serie A champions Napoli are looking to secure the future of Scott McTominay.

Tottenham have held talks with former Marseille boss Roberto de Zerbi about a summer appointment if they stay in the Premier League. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Former manager and player Glenn Hoddle has offered to ensure Tottenham avoid relegation should interim boss Igor Tudor be sacked after losing his opening three games. (Mail), external

Another former Tottenham player, Robbie Keane, has also emerged as one of the leading candidates if the north London side axe the Croat. (TeamTalk), external

Napoli hope to move quickly to secure the long-term future of Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 29, amid interest from the Premier League. (Goal), external

Newcastle United striker William Osula says he does not know what the future holds, but his focus for now is on Tyneside. The 22-year-old Dane has previously been linked with Stuttgart. (ChronicleLive), external

Antoine Griezmann, 34, has decided not to leave Atletico Madrid mid-season; Orlando City had showed strong interest in the former France forward. (L'Equipe - in French, subscription required), external

Manchester City are sure to offer England international Phil Foden a new contract when his current one expires at the end of next season, but negotiations will not be easy given the 25-year-old midfielder's inconsistent form. (The Athletic - subscription required), external

England midfielder Mason Mount, 27, has no intention of forcing an exit from Manchester United this summer. (Football Insider), external

Manchester United have been informed that Trabzonspor are not willing to pay the club's valuation of £40m to £43m for Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana, 29, this summer. (MEN), external

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Tottenham news: Opinion - A purge needs to happen at Spurs

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Tottenham news: Opinion - A purge needs to happen at Spurs - BBC
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As the implications of Thursday's defeat started to sink in, a list began to form in my mind: the individuals responsible and those I want gone from meddling in the affairs of my football club.

Spurs have been run aground from top to bottom. The decision was taken to oust Daniel Levy, hardly a fan favourite, but replacing him with a collection of 'suits' with little footballing IQ set the ball rolling. From there, it has simply snowballed.

Our recruitment policy is scattergun at best, and we seem unable to keep players fit for the chop-and-change tactical systems we employ. And now to cap it all off, the abysmal decision-making process has finally infected the first-team squad.

In N17, it seems like we are incapable of going 10 minutes without setting fire to something. The floor is covered in the ash of catastrophic red cards, premature or delayed sackings, and formations that make little to no sense.

The only people to walk away untouched by blame are Archie Gray and the fans.

Gray has been used to plug every gap and fix every tactical deficiency. It feels like the fate of the club sits on his 19-year-old shoulders, a burden far too heavy for someone of his age. He is a mechanic spraying WD-40 on an F1 car whose wheels have fallen off.

Meanwhile, the fans are the people who have been forced to witness mistake after mistake. Those in the stadium on Thursday night have paid roughly £300 per home Premier League win over the past two seasons.

There is little comfort on offer right now. So, I'll turn to my list. I'll repeat it every night before sleep in the hope that when I wake, we'll have finally made a correct decision...

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Tottenham news: Concerns grow over Igor Tudor

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Tottenham news: Concerns grow over Igor Tudor - BBC
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Thursday night's defeat by Crystal Palace means Tottenham are just one point above the bottom three with nine matches remaining.

Spurs replaced Thomas Frank with Igor Tudor in February, with the Croat's track record of instantly improving under-performing teams one of the key attractions to his appointment.

But Tudor has lost all three of his games in charge, raising concerns about his suitability for the role.

On Friday morning, club sources told BBC Sport that Tottenham have no immediate plans to change manager for a second time this campaign.

The club also confirmed that Tudor is scheduled to undertake the pre-match news conference, before Tuesday's Champions League last 16 first-leg tie at Atletico Madrid, providing further indication that Spurs are sticking with him for now.

But even if Tudor can steer Tottenham to Premier League safety, it is now looking highly unlikely that he will be a contender to take the role on a full-time basis.

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Spurs crisis - who is to blame for club's struggles?

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Who's to blame for Spurs crisis? - BBC
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Tottenham Hotspur's increasingly chaotic descent towards the Premier League relegation zone continued as thousands of supporters left early during their damaging home defeat by Crystal Palace on Thursday night.

Spurs stand one point off the drop zone after interim manager Igor Tudor lost his third game in succession after replacing the sacked Thomas Frank.

Tudor was appointed as a so-called "impact coach" based on his previous track record - but such has been his lack of impact that questions are already being asked about the Croat's future.

Their campaign has been characterised by toxicity, misery and on occasion high farce - so who is to blame for the collapse of a club that won the Europa League last season and reached the Champions League final as recently as seven years ago?

Former chairman Daniel Levy was always the lightning rod for criticism when Spurs struggled, with the 2008 League Cup the only success in his reign before he "stepped down" after almost 25 years last September.

Levy was the driving force behind Spurs' magnificent stadium, but found himself in the crosshairs of supporters for what they regarded as his failure to provide the financial backing to break into the Premier League elite on a regular basis.

Former Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Sport: "This is a problem that has been building over years. You can circle a drain long enough but at some point you will fall in.

"Daniel gets a lot of criticism. Some if it is unfair. You look at the managers he has appointed when the clamour was for trophies.

"He employed 'win now' managers in Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte but he didn't give them 'win now' players."

Since Mauricio Pochettino's sacking in November 2019, Spurs have spent £979m on players with a net spend of £653m. Only Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are ahead of them.

Other factors came into play with Levy, however, such as the suggestions he drove hard bargains which saw targeted players end up elsewhere, or players who could have been sold staying at Spurs because other clubs simply would not meet his demands.

Spurs' wage bill must also be factored into the equation, with Levy running a tight ship.

According to the Deloitte Money League, their bill last term was £248.6m, much lower than the rest of the top flight's so-called "Big Six".

Levy can point to financial and structural success off the pitch, but there was under-achievement on it.

He will also be associated with instability, including a revolving door of 12 sacked managers as Spurs reached 16 semi-finals and seven finals.

What his true legacy is may only be measured at the end of this season.

The fact that any straw poll of Spurs fans would end with Pochettino standing in the technical area at the start of next season shows the affection still felt for the Argentine.

Pochettino's high point was the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019 - but that defeat also marked the beginning of the end.

He felt it should have been the reverse, a starting point, but fractures soon appeared in his relationship with Levy, with Pochettino feeling his wish to rebuild the side with greater glories in mind was not fulfilled.

Robinson agrees, saying: "You look back to that Champions League final. Spurs had a manager who people would walk over hot coals to get back now.

"This was the time to back him with a long-term contract, invest heavily to ensure you stay on that level. Ever since that day the club has regressed."

Tanguy Ndomdole's arrival from Lyon for £53.8m was the marquee signing in summer 2019.

The writing was on the wall in pre-season when Pochettino memorably said: "Sell, buy players, sign contract, not sign contract. I think it is not in my hands, it is in the club's hands and Daniel Levy.

"The club needs to change my title and description. Of course, I am the boss deciding the strategic play but in another area I don't know. I feel like I am the coach."

Just 171 days after reaching the Champions League final, he was sacked.

Since then, none of Pochettino's successors have truly captured the Spurs' fans imagination like he did, both in personality and playing style, which is why he is favoured to come back in the summer.

One question: Would he come back to a Championship club?

Once Pochettino was sacked, Levy's choice of managers was key to the club's trajectory after the high of that 2019 Champions League final.

In many ways, he went for choices many fans would have made - leading to conclusions that it was the culture of the club under his charge that was the problem.

Robinson says: "There is something that is fundamentally wrong at that club. Spurs have decreased the stock of managers who arrived at the club as winners, such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

"Managers who had won regularly elsewhere didn't win at Spurs. You have to ask why that is."

Levy stood by a revolving door of 12 sacked managers as Spurs reached 16 semi-finals and seven finals, not including the Uefa Super Cup before his departure.

Mourinho replaced Pochettino, briefly took Spurs to the top of the Premier League, and was then bizarrely sacked in the week before a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

Nuno Espirito Santo was well down a list of successors when he was appointed in summer 2021. He lasted only four months before he was replaced by Antonio Conte.

The combustible Italian, who won the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea, took Spurs into the Champions League but left after 16 months following a savage attack on the club after a draw at Southampton, saying: "Tottenham's story is this - 20 years there is this owner and they never won something. Why?

"The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here? I have seen the managers that Spurs had on the bench."

Ange Postecoglou followed, winning that long-awaited trophy, but a finish of 17th place in the league saw him sacked.

Thomas Frank tried and failed.

The record suggests Levy tried all shapes and sizes of manager - none have truly fitted this dysfunctional club.

Son Hueng-min left Spurs in the summer to join Los Angeles FC after scoring 173 goals in 454 games.

The great South Korean's partner in goals, England captain Harry Kane, decided his career needed trophies, leaving for Bayern Munich in August 2023 in an £86.4m deal as Spurs' record goalscorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances.

"It is worth pointing out that Spurs do not have their top three scorers for the last three seasons," Robinson said. "Kane, Son and Brennan Johnson have all been sold."

Two big proposed moves also went down as Arsenal hijacked a £60m deal for Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, while Spurs thought they had a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White poised for completion until he signed a new contract at Nottingham Forest.

Big summer signings Xavi Simons and Muhammed Kudus, through injury and lack of form, have not had the desired impact, leaving Spurs rueing those missed deals even more.

"This appointment was the wrong one from the start," says Robinson. "They needed a Harry Redknapp or a Sean Dyche to keep them in the division.

"They need a manager who would hand over a Premier League club to whoever - maybe Pochettino - next season.

"Igor Tudor, regardless of how he does, will not be manager next season. He might not even be there at the end of this season.

"I also look at some players who can't wait to get out of Spurs so they can go and play European football next season.

"These things accumulate and now Spurs find themselves in a crisis."

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Tottenham 1-3 Crystal Palace: 'Disbelief' - thousands leave early as Spurs in freefall

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Tottenham 1-3 Crystal Palace: 'Disbelief' - thousands leave early as Spurs in freefall - BBC
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As thousands of Tottenham fans streamed out of their stadium at half-time on Thursday, no one could have been in any doubt about the threat of relegation.

After taking an early lead against Crystal Palace, three goals for the visitors in 12 first-half minutes - sparked by a penalty conceded and red card for Micky van de Ven - condemned Igor Tudor's side to another miserable defeat.

Spurs remain the only Premier League side without a victory in 2026. Their 11-match winless league run is the club's longest since 1935, when they went 15 games without winning.

With nine matches to go, they remain one point above the relegation zone and in real danger of losing their Premier League status for the first time.

The thousands of empty seats were telling. The fans who remained until the end met the final whistle with loud jeers as belief of survival appears to be draining from them.

"Anxiety was all through the stadium," former Chelsea and England winger Joe Cole said on TNT Sports. "The whole performance was tepid.

"There was no bite and no anger and the fans were feeling that. It feels like they have given up.

"It looks like the fans are disillusioned, disenchanted and not believing it."

When Tudor was appointed as interim boss last month, he said Tottenham "100%" wouldn't go down. It would take a brave person to say that now.

"Of course i understand the fans [leaving]. It's normal, they wanted more," said the Croat, whose has lost all three of his matches in charge.

"I need to choose the right guys: Who is in the boat and who will leave the boat."

Tudor refused to be drawn into conversations about his future after full-time, despite questions already being raised about whether he would see out the season.

Spurs fan Chris Cowlin told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm lost for words over what I've seen tonight. You want fight, desire and most importantly points.

"It is too much for a lot of people and this is the reality that Spurs might get relegated.

"When we moved to this stadium in 2019 it was meant to be a game changer for us, the springboard for success and always competing for top honours. I've never known a time like this.

"We've gone through so many managers since moving to this stadium; six permanent managers and four interim appointments. Spurs have gone round in circles."

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is not a happy place at the moment.

They have not won in the Premier League in 2026 and have only led in league games for 13 minutes since 7 January.

Outside the stadium, Tottenham supporters told BBC Sport the club were "in their worst moment in history" and "were more likely than not to go down".

One fan blamed Tottenham's form on the players, saying "there are too many egos" and "the players are still living off that high of the Europa League and sleep-walking to relegation".

Another added "Nottingham Forest and West Ham have got fight and grit. We don't have any of that."

One supporter said the board's failures in the transfer market was the main culprit, pointing to a lack of goalscoring options and a failure to cover Tottenham's many, many injuries.

Spurs currently have nine players sidelined.

Fans also pointed to the team's lack of discipline. Cristian Romero was serving the final game of a four-match ban after a straight red card in February.

Van de Ven's sending off on Thursday means he will now serve a three-match ban.

Many also queried the appointment of former Juventus boss Tudor. The Croat had never managed in the Premier League before his appointment in February.

Others defended him with one adding each new manager appointment simply "papers over the cracks".

One of the Premier League's traditional 'big six', Tottenham haven't been relegated since 1976-77.

Ten months ago, they won the Europa League and, despite being 16th in the Premier League table, are in the Champions League last 16.

Since promotion from the Second Division in 1949-50, they have spent just one season below the top flight (1977-78).

But none of that guarantees anything right now. Tottenham's next Premier League game is at Liverpool on 15 March. They still need to play fellow strugglers Forest, Leeds and Wolves. And they need points.

"Tottenham have not got many games left, but they need to find a concoction and some understanding to go get some results over the line," former Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It is ridiculous to think of them sacking [Tudor] after three games after seeing what the players have ultimately produced.

"This is the same group and sacking the manager after three games is an admission that he was the wrong man in the first place."

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Premier League Debrief Extra: Spurs' Nightmare Continues

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Premier League Debrief Extra: Spurs' Nightmare Continues - BBC
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Reaction after Tottenham Hotspur beaten at home by Crystal Palace. Glenn Murray and Jonathan Pearce join Eleanor Oldroyd to reflect on a dismal night in North London for Spurs. Hear their thoughts on why everything changed after Micky van de Ven's first half red card and where this leaves Tottenham with nine games of the season remaining. Tottenham fan Chris Cowlin joins to give his immediate thoughts, plus hear from both managers: Igor Tudor, and a victorious Oliver Glasner.

Time Codes:

Fri 2000 Wolves v Liverpool (FA Cup)

Sat 1230 England v Iceland (Women's World Cup Qualifiers) on Sports Extra

Sat 1530 Wales v Montenegro (Women's World Cup Qualifiers) on Sports Extra

Sat 1700 Scotland v Luxembourg (Women's World Cup Qualifiers) on Sports Extra 3

Sat 1745 Wrexham v Chelsea (FA Cup)

Sat 2000 Newcastle v Manchester City (FA Cup)

Sun 1200 Fulham v Southampton (FA Cup) on Sports Extra 2

Sun 1330 Port Vale v Sunderland (FA Cup)

Sun 1630 Leeds v Norwich (FA Cup)

Mon 1930 West Ham v Brentford (FA Cup)

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Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace - Oliver Glasner post match reaction

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Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace - Oliver Glasner post match reaction - BBC
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Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner praises his team's reaction as they fight back from a goal down to beat Spurs 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with all the goals coming in the first half.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace

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Premier League: Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace Igor Tudor post match reaction

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Premier League: Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace Igor Tudor post match reaction - BBC
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Tottenham Hotspur head coach Igor Tudor says he believes the club will be able to avoid relegation from the Premier League, insisting "the moment will pass" after watching his side lose 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace, a result that leaves them one point above the relegation zone.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace

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Tottenham news: How would Spurs' income be impacted by relegation?

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Tottenham news: How would Spurs' income be impacted by relegation? - BBC
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The prospect of one of the Premier League's six wealthiest clubs being relegated to the Championship should be essentially impossible, given the immense resouces they have at their disposal.

But with 10 games left to play Tottenham Hotspur are just a point above 18th-placed West Ham, and in the kind of wretched run of form that makes it difficult to see where enough points are going to come from.

So, what would be the financial impact on Spurs if the unthinkable really does happen?

Spurs earned £690m worth of income last year, according to data from the Uefa European club finance and investment landscape report, putting them ninth overall in Europe.

That income would take a serious hit if they were to drop into the Championship.

According to BBC Sport analysis, the reduction could be as much as £261m overall.

One key area in which they would be harmed is ticket revenue, which earned the club £130m, the fifth-highest across the continent.

Currently, Spurs charge an average of £76 per fan for each home match, with only five clubs in Europe costing more.

Since building their new stadium for around £1bn, Spurs have focused heavily on selling hospitality tickets and corporate packages for matches in order to maximise matchday takings.

But they will simply not be able to charge the same amount for an opening day fixture against a side like Lincoln City - who are currently chasing promotion from League One - in the second tier in August, should they ultimately finish in the bottom three, and a drop in attendances would likely occur too.

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Tottenham Hotspur: Why is Dele Alli training at Spurs?

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Tottenham Hotspur: Why is Dele Alli training at Spurs? - BBC
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Midfielder Dele Alli has returned to Tottenham Hotspur to train independently.

The 29-year-old has been allowed to use the club's facilities while he improves his fitness and looks to join a new club.

Dele has posted clips of him training at the club's academy grounds on his social media platforms.

He has been without a club since September 2025, when he left Serie A club Como after his contract was terminated.

Dele recently returned to Spurs as a special guest at the north London derby against Arsenal in February.

He scored 67 goals over 269 appearances over seven years for Spurs, before leaving in 2022.

Dele has played most of his career game time at Spurs, at a total of 19,150 minutes, having previously played a total of 6,514 minutes at MK Dons.

Since leaving north London, fitness and form struggles prevented the midfielder from fully establishing himself at Everton or Besiktas.

Dele made 13 appearances for the Merseyside team between 2022-2024. playing a total of 369 minutes.

He went on loan to Turkish side Besiktas, where he scored three goals in 15 appearances between 2022 and 2023, playing 830 minutes.

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