It now feels more like a matter of when and not if Ange Postecoglou is relieved of his duties as Tottenham Hotspur manager.
The Australian coach has done well enough in the Europa League this year and stands one game away from the final, but in the Premier League, they sit in 16th place with 19 defeats to their name.
Understandably, then, there have been numerous reports in recent weeks linking a number of top-class managers with the club, with Andoni Iraola being one of the most notable.
Yet, while the Spaniard would likely do a brilliant job, a recent report has now linked the North Londoners with an even better candidate.
Tottenham's manager search
Before getting to the manager in question, it's worth looking at a couple of the other names that have been linked with the Tottenham job in recent weeks, such as Niko Kovač and Oliver Glasner.
The former would be difficult to take away from Borussia Dortmund, but it would almost certainly be worth the effort, as not only has he turned the side around, but he's also got an impressive track record of winning major silverware with Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Interestingly, Glasner has also got a track record of success with Frankfurt, winning the Europa League with them in 2022, and on top of that, he's led Crystal Palace to the FA Cup final this season, which would have been unthinkable when he took over.
Yet, to be comfortably described as 'far better than Iraola,' Spurs potential hire would have had to do something even bigger than that in recent years, which is where Xavi Hernández comes in.
According to a recent report from Spain, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in hiring the former Barcelona boss.
Alongside the Lilywhites, the report claims that German giants Bayer Leverkusen and Saudi Pro-League side Al Hilal are also keen on the Spaniard.
As he's currently unemployed, the World Cup winner has the luxury of joining whichever side he wants, so Daniel Levy and Co should do what they can to convince him, as he'd be an even better hire than Iraola.
Why Xavi would be a better hire than Iraola
So, if the decision Spurs have to make in the summer is between Xavi and Iraola, why should they go with the former?
First and foremost, while the Bournemouth manager did a great job getting Rayo Vallecano promoted to La Liga and has turned the Cherries into an upper mid-table Premier League side, he has no experience managing a huge club.
Moreover, this lack of experience at the top means we have no idea how he'd cope with the added pressure to get over the line in competitions.
In contrast, the former Barça boss led his former side to the title and Spanish in 22/23, which was their first in four years.
On top of that, when you compare their recent records, it further makes the case for the league winner, whom Joan Laporta dubbed "the best manager in the world."
For example, he won 91 games in charge of the Catalan giants, drew 23, lost 29 and averaged 2.07 points per game, while the Cherries boss has won 34 games, drawn 20 and lost 30 since taking the job on the south coast, which comes out to 1.45 points per game.
Ultimately, while Iraola would be a good hire for Spurs, Xavi has the experience and record to suggest he'd be an even better one.