Igor Tudor's position in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout is anything but secure, and it looks like the interim head coach is going to be sacked in the aftermath of Sunday's trip to Anfield in the Premier League.
The Croatian coach was only drafted in a month ago, but Spurs have fallen deeper into a hole since sacking Thomas Frank. The players have failed to respond to Tudor's tactics, drawing criticism from pundits such as Stephen Warnock, who believes he has "lost the changing room".
Tottenham will be up against it on Sunday, but the board are potentially looking ahead to next weekend, when Nottingham Forest will come to N17 in a Premier League six-pointer. A lot rides on that match.
However, the managerial market isn't exactly bustling right now.
The latest on Spurs' search for a Tudor replacement
Tottenham are heading back into the market for another head coach, just one month after appointing crisis specialist Tudor.
Pickings are slim, but Tottenham have placed Ferencvaros boss Robbie Keane at the top of their shortlist, with the one-time Spurs striker keen on the idea of coming home.
That's according to TEAMtalk, but Fabrizio Romano has chipped in to confirm that sporting director Johan Lange has his eye on a number of options, with the unemployed Roberto De Zerbi said to be the "dream candidate".
Manchester United are interested in appointing De Zerbi, who was sacked by Marseille last month, at the end of the season, so convincing him to move to N17 this month will be difficult, but Tottenham are in dire straits and will consider the benefits of presenting a compelling offer for a manager who could steer them away from danger.
Why De Zerbi would be perfect for Spurs
Tottenham fan groups have called for emergency action as the prospect of relegation looms large, and if ENIC Group were to convince De Zerbi that the risk is worth taking, they would secure a proven coach who could steer them away from danger before building a special project over a number of years.
In that, the Italian could become the London club's own version of Jurgen Klopp, who took the reins at a Liverpool team who had fallen by the wayside and lifted them back into the limelight.
De Zerbi has yet to have his 'big break', taking charge at a club at the top of Europe. Tottenham, candidly, are not that club, but they could be, with the infrastructure and pull to return to the Champions League and compete for silverware each year.
That future feels like it's a million miles away, but De Zerbi is a fiery personality with a "unique" tactical mind, as Manchester City's Pep Guardiola had said of his tactics when at the helm at Brighton.
Typically implementing a fluid 4-3-3 formation, De Zerbi certainly has a certain Klopp-like quality about him, front-footed and steeped in possession-focused football.
Klopp was a proponent of gegenpressing, of course, but they both have clear and distinctive approaches and hunger for goals and dominance in the final third.
One thing is for sure: Tottenham would stand a far better chance with De Zerbi taking Tudor's position, inspiring belief and confidence in the beleaguered players while reshaping a confusing tactical set-up.
With 70 Premier League matches under his belt, the 46-year-old is not quite as experienced as others, but he's impressed in England before and led Brighton from relegation danger into midtable, shaping them into one of the sharpest outfits in the country.
De Zerbi is one of the leading managers in the world, and though he might have reservations about taking over at a Tottenham side who are in such an imperilled position, he may also relish the chance to make himself a hero and lead this side back to glory, emulating Klopp at Liverpool.