Perhaps the only miraculous thing about Tottenham Hotspur this season is the fact that Ange Postecoglou is still in the job.
While the Australian coach started his Lilywhites tenure in sensational form, things have been getting progressively worse since December 2023.
This season has seen the former Celtic boss lead his side to a staggering 19 defeats in the Premier League alone, and with four more matches to play, ending the year with 20 league defeats feels inevitable.
With all that said, it's hardly surprising that, in recent weeks, there have been countless reports linking the club with potential replacements, from Fulham's Marco Silva to former boss Mauricio Pochettino. Yet, another, more exciting candidate would be a far better choice.
Why Spurs shouldn't sign Poch or Silva
So, while there is an undeniable romanticism around the idea of re-hiring Pochettino this summer, there is one significant reason why Spurs shouldn't: his recent jobs.
Since being let go by the North Londoners in late 2019, the Argentine coach has taken three jobs and failed to impress in any of them.
For example, he failed to win the league in his first half-season with Paris Saint-Germain, then at Chelsea, he was unable to get into the Champions League places with astronomical financial backing, and now he's struggling to turn things around in charge of the USMNT, with some already questioning his place.
Now, in terms of Silva, there is also a significant reason Tottenham should steer clear: his lack of experience with big clubs.
While the Portuguese manager has done an exceptional job in charge of Fulham, he's never had the responsibility of managing a 'big six' side.
In fact, when he was in charge of the closest thing in Everton, he was eventually fired.
Fortunately, while there are clear reasons why Spurs shouldn't hire either Pochettino or Silva, they have been linked to someone else who'd be a brilliant hire.
The manager Spurs should hire
There have been a few other managers touted for the Spurs job in recent months, from Thomas Frank to Xavi, but if Daniel Levy and Co want to make a real statement, they should hire Xabi Alonso.
The North Londoners were linked with the Spanish legend late last week, and while it might sound overly ambitious, there are a couple of reasons why he's just the coach they should be going all out to sign.
First is the fact that he's not only a proven league winner, but the fact that he won the Bundesliga with an unfancied Bayer Leverkusen.
The German side had famously never won the top flight before, so the fact that they went on to win it undefeated last year after Bayern signed Harry Kane is a simply sensational achievement.
Moreover, while they aren't going to win it again this year, the club remain comfortably second in the table and the former Liverpool star continues to have an excellent record of 89 wins, 30 draws, 18 defeats and an average of 2.17 points per game at the helm.
Finally, from a tactical perspective, the "incredible" boss, as dubbed by Transfermarkt's Manuel Veth, could be the perfect match for the Lilywhites squad.
For example, he likes his teams to play a quick, direct brand of football, with a focus on overloading the middle of the park and getting the wingbacks up high to stretch opposition defences, which sounds like something that would get the best out of Pedro Porro, Destiney Udogie and even Djed Spence.
Ultimately, it might be pie-in-the-sky thinking, but if Spurs have even the slightest chance to hire Alonso this summer, they have to take it.