Now that Thomas Frank has been sacked, Tottenham Hotspur are currently without a manager.
However, hopes of seeing Mauricio Pochettino back in the Spurs dugout for the remainder of the campaign have been dashed as he prepares for USMNT's World Cup campaign in North America.
In hindsight, it seems ludicrous that the Danish tactician lasted for as long as he did. Tottenham have been an eye sore to watch this season and, moreover, are embroiled in a Premier League relegation battle.
While the more pragmatic option would be to appoint John Heitinga on an interim basis, Spurs fans may well have had enough pragmatism for a while.
After all, there are several interesting options out there.
How Spurs plan to upgrade on Thomas Frank
Tottenham cannot afford any mistakes over the business months of the campaign. Fears of relegation have been heightened after a miserable run of two wins in 17 Premier League fixtures.
A number of candidates have been earmarked, with Spurs chairman Vinai Venkatesham said to be leading the charge.
Pochettino would be a fantastic addition, but he's not the only one on the radar.
According to talkSPORT, the board are discussing whether to launch a move for Roberto De Zerbi, who this week was fired from his post at Marseille in France.
De Zerbi was a target last summer before Frank was welcomed, but Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici led that bid and neither is still at the club.
It is claimed that the inventive Italian tactician is expected in London this week, so face-to-face talks can hardly be ruled out, especially with Manchester City and Manchester United both considered potential suitors for the end of the season.
What Roberto De Zerbi would bring to Spurs
Many managers have tried and failed to make it work at Tottenham. Ange Postecoglou won silverware, but the instability of his reign led to his dismissal.
Jose Mourinho might have ended the Londoners' drought, had he been allowed to take charge for the Carabao Cup final in 2021. He was within one game of glory, but Mourinho had not adopted the 'To Dare Is To Do' moniker into his tactics, and he was dismissed.
De Zerbi is an outspoken manager, a big personality, and he could emerge as Tottenham's new version of the Portuguese in that regard, something that may well go down a treat with the fanbase.
Mourinho's Tottenham tenure was a forgettable one, but the club were hardly in a good place when he assumed charge, getting more out of Tanguy Ndombele than
He was not out of his depth, whereas Frank was. While De Zerbi would find a mountainous task in front of him in north London, he has the character and resilience to succeed where his predecessor did not, having withstood one of the most vociferous fanbases in Europe in Marseille.
Moreover, he has experience in the Premier League as the chief of a ball-playing system that led Statman Dave to call him a "genius".
Possession-based football is all well and good, but Tottenham fans will want to see their side put paid to opponents through slick and creative attacking play. In this, De Zerbi would have his work cut out, but he does boast the skills to make it happen.
The 46-year-old typically fields a 4-2-3-1 formation, nestling a central playmaker at the heart of his system. Moreover, he tends to enforce microscopic changes on the regular, always crafting new dimensions to his set-up.
Perhaps such flexibility is what Tottenham need, landing a Mourinho-esque profile who has an array of tactical ideas that puts him in better standing than both the Benfica boss and the recently sacked Frank.
He is passionate and he cares. De Zerbi might be somewhat irascible at times, but perhaps this Spurs side need a manager with fire in their belly to right the many wrongs of recent years.
In this, De Zerbi could excel as the club's new Mourinho, one with a more progressive tactical mindset. Maybe that is the combination that is needed to finally establish consistency on the right end of the scales.