Sean Dyche has been suggested as a candidate for the Spurs job if Igor Tudor doesn't see out the season as manager
As Sean Dyche emerges as favourite for the Tottenham Hotspur job, it's hard to ignore the Englishman's run-ins with the London side in years gone by. Dyche was sacked by Nottingham Forest in February but has been named as a potential candidate to replace Igor Tudor in north London if Spurs' board decided another change is needed for them.
It would represent a fourth Premier League managerial job for Dyche, who also managed Burnley and Everton in the top flight before his months-long stint at the City Ground. It was during that Everton spell that he put in an unexpected request to Spurs' then-manager Ange Postecoglou before a meeting between the two sides.
"[He is] my type of guy. Maybe we can crack a cold one open," said Dyche. The suggestion of a beer was a twist on the post-match tradition of a glass of red wine with rivals managers which former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson often enjoyed.
"I don’t know [Postecoglou] but I like what I’ve heard, and the way he’s speaking very honestly, he recently said that he wants to win," Dyche continued. "He said he doesn’t want to be known for how he plays, he wants to be known to win.
"I’m refreshed by that attitude for sure. That seems to be my type of guy."
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE!Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
At the time of the request, Postecoglou's Spurs sat just outside the Premier League top four, having briefly topped the table after a 10-game unbeaten start. Two early goals would be enough for them to beat Dyche's Everton, with Richarlison and Son Heung-min on target before Andre Gomes pulled a goal back late on.
Spurs would end the season in fifth, two points shy of Champions League qualification. Postecoglou took them all the way in the Europa League the next season but was sacked before he could lead the team in Europe's premier club competition.
Thomas Frank took over in the summer of 2025 and secured progress to the latter stages of the Champions League but was dismissed for poor league results. His successor Tudor has been unable to inspire a turnaround, though, with four defeats in all competitions leaving them one point off the relegation zone and all but out of Europe after a 5-2 hammering away to Atletico Madrid.
Dyche honed his reputation as a firefighter when he saved Everton from the drop in 2023 and won more games than he lost with Forest after replacing Postecoglou at the City Ground. Despite that record, which brought the Nottingham club out of the bottom three, he was sacked in February after a goalless draw with bottom-of-the-table Wolves.
If Spurs decide to wait until after this weekend's meeting with Liverpool to sack Tudor and appoint Dyche, the latter would take on his former club in his first league game. Spurs and Forest sit one point apart going into this weekend, both just ahead of 18th-place West Ham.