Tottenham have a key decision to make in regard to the future of Igor Tudor as Spurs slip perilously close to the relegation zone, and a surprise name has entered the fray.
Tottenham consider Igor Tudor future amid disastrous run
Tudor has been handed the Atletico Madrid game, but do not mistake that for job security.
Tottenham sources confirmed on Friday that their beleaguered Croatian interim would take the press conference ahead of Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg in the Spanish capital.
For a man whose position was so precarious 24 hours earlier that Sam Wallace at The Telegraph was reporting the club were actively considering a second managerial change inside a month, that is about as much of a reprieve as it sounds — which is to say, not much of one at all.
What happens after Atletico remains anybody's guess if the Lilywhites don't arrest this alarming slide.
The numbers are damning: three games in charge, three defeats, nine goals conceded, one point above the relegation zone.
Fans streaming out at half-time of Thursday's 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, songs about the sack ringing around what they now call the New White Hart Lane, and reports of a dressing room that has already grown restless under Tudor's harsh, uncompromising methods.
Micky van de Ven saw red. Palace ran riot, and in the directors' box, former Juventus football director Cristiano Giuntoli — the man who hired Tudor at the Italian club last March — was watching from the stands.
The Telegraph's reporting made clear that Spurs are aware of the situation's gravity. Their hierarchy, led by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange, have been left to weigh up a decision they know will be scrutinised from all angles.
Do you sack an interim manager after just three games and compound the chaos further? Or do you persist with a man whose squad appears to have already tuned him out, while the fixtures keep coming thick and fast?
Those fixtures, it must be said, are absolutely punishing.
After Atlético, it is Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday, then the European return leg on March 18, then the relegation six-pointer at home to Nottingham Forest on March 22. There is barely a moment to breathe, let alone rebuild.
And so, inevitably, the names are beginning to swirl.
Ferencvaros boss and ex-Spurs striker Robbie Keane is believed to be among the contenders to replace Tudor if the north Londoners decide to part company, while it is believed that talks have already been held over Roberto De Zerbi.
Italian sports paper Tuttosport, who have been following the car crash with considerable interest given Tudor's time in Serie A, report today of more names on their radar.
Sean Dyche one of the 'hottest names' to replace Tudor at Tottenham
As per their information, one of the 'hottest names' to replace Tudor is none other than Sean Dyche — the former Nottingham Forest, Everton, Burnley and Watford boss.
Dyche is a no-nonsense Englishman from Kettering who built his reputation the hard way.
He spent 10 years at Burnley, taking them up from the Championship and establishing them as a genuine top-flight presence on a shoestring budget.
Organised, hard to beat, fiercely competitive — his Burnley sides were not pretty, but they were effective.
He also had a stint at Watford, and kept Everton up against the odds in 2022/23 before being sacked midway through the following season when results turned.
"They are extremely solid," said Thomas Frank about Dyche during his time at Everton.
"I know they had a tough start where they lost their first four games; one defeat in their past seven says everything about them.
"Sean is a fantastic coach and manager. He always makes his team very difficult to play against. They are physical, intensive in pressing, they have pace on transitions, are very good on set-pieces, and they play behind you."
His record suggests a man built for exactly this kind of crisis — a firefighter in the truest sense.
And that is precisely the problem at Spurs.
Tudor was sold to them as that type. So was Frank, in a different way.
What Tottenham actually need is someone who can build something sustainable — and Dyche, for all his qualities, has never convincingly been that man at the highest level.
He was also sacked by Forest earlier this season, despite his pretty decent win percentage.
If Spurs do turn to the 54-year-old, it would truly summarise the dire state of the club right now.