Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly looking to replace Igor Tudor and the fourth head coach change in a year could have an impact for Arsenal
Igor Tudor is reportedly on the verge of being replaced at Tottenham Hotspur after an damaging defeat at home to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest. What the impact of this decision, and their replacement, can have on Arsenal might seem, from first glance, meagre, but football.london is going to dig into the ramifications.
Out of the race for the European places, out of the League Cup, out of the FA Cup and out of the Champions League. The only thing left for Spurs is to try and keep their Premier League status, while their north London rivals, the Gunners, aim to win the entire division.
Adi Hutter is the name currently doing the rounds and looks a potential candidate to replace Tudor, should the Croatian leave his post. football.london reported this week that there is a growing belief among some inside Spurs that a mutual parting of the ways with Tudor is the likeliest scenario, but it is a delicate situation after the 47-year-old was informed that his father Mario had passed away immediately after the Forest defeat.
Should Tudor indeed depart in the coming days, what could a fourth head coach change in a year at Tottenham mean for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side? football.london takes a look below...
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
The title race
Arsenal have already thanked their bitter rivals for their help in the title race this season. Not only did they manage to put eight goals past them in two matches, securing six points once again, but Thomas Frank managed to even steal points away from Manchester City before he was sacked.
The only relegation-threatened side City still have to play following back-to-back draws with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United is Burnley. Spurs are currently ten points ahead of Scott Parker’s side giving the Northwest club little hope of survival.
However, should a change in coach fail to improve Tottenham’s form and Burnley manage to secure a few wins before they host Man City on April 26, it will keep motivation high for The Clarets. Fingers crossed!
They couldn’t, could they?
The idea of Tottenham genuinely being relegated seems too far-fetched to be real, and yet as each week passes, that reality continues to grow. The defeat to Forest convinced many that Spurs could indeed be taking their state-of-the-art stadium into the second tier.
A sacking of an interim coach will definitely have an impact; we just do not know yet what that impact will be. It could worsen their plight or improve it, but for Arsenal, there will certainly be some split in the fan base.
Some will argue they would miss the North London Derby, especially considering just how easy it has become for the Gunners, claiming nine wins from the last 11 meetings. However, being the bitterest of rivals, naturally, others will relish seeing such a monumental collapse and eventual relegation.
The real race
Certainly, the biggest advantage any team has in the respective races to claim a title, secure European qualification, or maintain their Premier League status is Arsenal right now. The best battle from an entertainment factor is not at either end of the division, and instead Arsenal fans have enjoyed from a distance watching Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea do their best to allow the likes of Brentford, Fulham and Everton a chance at stealing into the top spots before the season ends.
Whereas nine points separate the Gunners and Manchester City, the same difference is present between third-place United and eighth-place Everton. Spurs can have a say in keeping Arsenal supporters engaged in the other two battles with games against Brighton, Villa, Chelsea and Everton still to come, which in some ways highlights just how tricky their run-in remains in picking up points.