Roberto De Zerbi remains favourite to be Tottenham's next manager, but two club legends have emerged among the frontrunners to replace Thomas Frank over the last 24 hours.
Tottenham sacked Frank after less than eight months in charge following Tuesday night's 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle.
Spurs' latest setback saw them drop to 16th in the Premier League standings, just five points above the relegation zone, and they are as short as 5-1 for the drop.
Former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi left Marseille by mutual consent earlier on Wednesday and was introduced as the 8-11 favourite to take over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, he has been pushed out to 6-4 with money coming for John Heitinga as well as former Spurs favourites Robbie Keane and Mauricio Pochettino.
Heitinga, who had spells in the Premier League as a player with Everton and Fulham, joined Frank's backroom team in January after an unsuccessful five-month spell in charge of Ajax, where he cut his coaching teeth with the club's youth team.
The Dutch international was assistant to compatriot Arne Slot at Liverpool last term, when his role in the Reds' title win persuaded Ajax to hand him the reins of the first team. He was as short as 11-8 to take over from his former boss, but can now be backed at 5-2.
Pochettino, who is the current manager of the United States national team, spent five seasons at the club as manager, leading them to the 2018-19 Champions League final.
The Argentinian would be a hugely popular choice among Tottenham fans, but is unlikely to be available until after the World Cup. He is 4-1 to be Spurs' next permanent manager.
Keane, meanwhile, had two stints as a Tottenham player and he is earning glowing reports for his work as manager of Hungarian champions Ferencvaros. The Irishman is an 11-2 chance from 10-1 to take over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Analysis: Spurs board don't have the luxury of thinking long term
Tottenham have been a top-flight club for the best part of 50 years, but their Premier League status is at serious risk after Tuesday's home defeat to Newcastle.
Many Spurs fans had lost faith in Thomas Frank long before the damaging 2-1 loss, which extended Spurs' winless league run to eight games and saw them drop to 16th in the table.
They are only five points clear of the bottom three, and there is the potential for much worse to come for the injury-ravaged Londoners.
Arsenal are the next visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and, without a massive improvement, there is a clear chance of a heavy, morale-sapping defeat which could impact the rest of the Lilywhites' campaign.
While unthinkable at the start of the season, relegation is a real possibility for last season's Europa League winners – they are 6-1 for the drop from 40-1 pre-season – and it is vital the club's decision-makers prioritise the short term when picking Frank's successor.
Mauricio Pochettino is prominent in the early betting and would be a popular choice among many Spurs supporters. But the Argentinian, who is currently the head coach of the USA, is unavailable until after this summer's World Cup, and any plan to bring him back would limit Tottenham's options for the final months of this campaign.
With captain Cristian Romero suspended and 11 players injured, nine of whom are out until at least the middle of March, Tottenham do not have the luxury of strategic, long-term thinking.
They need somebody to come in and give them an instant lift ahead of 12 games which could have a huge impact on the club's future.
That probably rules out managerial novice Johnny Heitinga, a recent addition to Frank's backroom staff, but highly regarded available managers with Premier League experience are thin on the ground.
Roberto De Zerbi parted company with Marseille only hours before news broke of Frank's departure and was linked with a number of big jobs while in charge of Brighton.
However, there is a pressing need to appoint somebody with tactical flexibility and current experience in a Premier League dugout.
Fulham manager Marco Silva, who was linked with the job in the summer before Frank's appointment, could therefore be an ideal candidate.
Silva may or may not be prepared to push for an exit from the Cottagers, who, unlike Spurs, are in a comfortable mid-table position. But the Portuguese's teams are generally well organised and tough to beat, qualities Tottenham desperately need if they are to avoid the unthinkable.
Next Tottenham manager odds
Here are the latest odds to be Tottenham's next manager:
Odds correct at 11am on Thursday, February 12.
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