Tottenham Hotspur are now in a desperate position following a brutal response from Roberto De Zerbi. So much so that they're finally willing to turn towards a survival specialist.
De Zerbi delivers frustrating Tottenham response
In Tottenham's ideal world, De Zerbi would be their man. He would be on his way to take the reins and guide the club back to where they were prior to what has been a disastrous 12 months. This, however, is not their ideal world.
The reality is that touching down in North London could quickly hand any given manager a relegation on their CV, and a big one at that. It's a fate that Igor Tudor could be resigned to if he keeps hold of his interim position and one that De Zerbi is keen to avoid.
Following claims that the Italian is a candidate for the job, reports have indicated that he would like to take the job in the summer rather than in the final seven games of a relegation battle.
If Spurs are to make a managerial change, then it has to be during the international break. It's the perfect time to reset before a daunting final two months of Premier League action.
It's desperate times for Tottenham and those remaining seven games look far from routine. They're in dire need of a survival specialist.
Desperate Tottenham willing to hire Sean Dyche
With De Zerbi only willing to take charge from the summer, Tottenham are now willing to hire Sean Dyche, as per The Telegraph's Sam Wallace.
At this stage of the campaign, the former Nottingham Forest and Everton boss stands out as the best option. Now is not the time to focus on style or someone that will steal the headlines. Sat one point above the dropzone, Tottenham simply need results.
Dyche has some unfinished business in the current campaign too, after Nottingham Forest showed him the door following just 18 Premier League games in charge. It would be quite the story if his turnaround at Spurs played a part in dragging the Tricky Trees down to the Championship.
The manager's 4-2-3-1 pragmatic system is unlikely to be entertaining, but it may well prove to be more effective than Tudor's approach which is yet to earn a single league win.