Tottenham given split Roberto De Zerbi verdict as ex-Brighton boss emerges as favourite
THE BIG DEBATE: After Igor Tudor's 44-day reign was officially ended on Sunday, where should Spurs turn next? Our reporters have their say
Tottenham are on the lookout for their fourth boss in the last nine months after Igor Tudor's disastrous reign was officially ended on Sunday. Tudor spent just 44 days in charge in north London.
He won just one of his eight games in charge, drawing one and losing the other five, leaving Spurs perilously close to the relegation trapdoor.
With seven games remaining, they sit just a point above the drop zone and at real danger of slipping into the second tier for the first time since the late 1970s.
So, where do they turn next? Roberto De Zerbi is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Tudor, but he comes with baggage and would require a hefty bonus for keeping them up.
Or should they turn to somebody who knows the club in order to give the players a kick up the backside? Our reporters have had their say...
John Cross
With seven games left, Tottenham need a manager to give them shock treatment. That is why, on the face of it, Roberto De Zerbi is a good fit and would have enough time and games to keep them up.
The former Brighton boss has attracted criticism and comment from at least three Spurs fans groups because he publicly supported former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood while in charge at Marseille.
Furthermore, De Zerbi is an explosive character and one who probably is not for the long term - even though it would be a permanent appointment and one designed to take the club forward.
Tottenham have a squad which should not be in so much trouble. Igor Tudor was brought in to give them a kick up the backside. They would have done better sticking with Thomas Frank.
But of all the candidates, De Zerbi is the here and now choice. Last week he was not keen. This week, he is open to it. Mauricio Pochettino is in charge of the US until after the World Cup. I’m not sure he should go back.
They have looked at former players and managers. They even looked at Ledley King earlier in the season as an emergency option. This is Tottenham. A huge club. The fans are being failed. De Zerbi would keep them up. But you cannot ignore all views on him.
Andy Dunn
For what it is worth, I have never quite understood the allure of Roberto De Zerbi. He has a reputation that dwarfs his managerial achievements.
He seems a high maintenance type and has a distinctly average win percentage. As a manager, he has won nothing of note. If you were a betting man, you would have the bank on it going all Antonio Conte for De Zerbi at Spurs.
But if he is the manager they want for the long term, do whatever it takes to get him now. It should not be that difficult. He is available for the job and he either wants it or he doesn’t.
Offer him a decent long-term deal and demand an answer within 24 hours. If he prevaricates, he is not for you. In that case, leave Bruno Saltor to oversee matters and then make a proper plan at the end of the season.
After all, no manager will make that much of a difference in seven matches. It is down to the players. They have put themselves in this mess and need to get themselves out of it - regardless of who the manager is.
Felix Keith
Tottenham's first choice is Roberto De Zerbi, which seems to me to be a high-risk strategy, given what we know about the fiery Italian and his idealised hard-to-master tactics. If they do persuade him to take over this week, it has the potential to exacerbate an already shambolic situation.
What Spurs need is someone capable of motivating a miserable and underperforming squad in the short term. There are just seven games left in the Premier League season and a few wins will make all the difference. Relegation is unthinkable. If they can avoid it, then a permanent solution can be found in the summer.
Michael Carrick's success at Manchester United has shown that interim bosses can work. Ryan Mason has done the job twice before, while football.london have reported that Ben Davies could step into the coaching staff.
Time isn't on their side, so two familiar faces who can galvanise the squad, simplify the approach and instil some belief is the way to go.
James Whaling
Spurs seem to be all in on Roberto De Zerbi, but I'm not convinced he is right for this situation.
He's already hinted that he's not keen on being a short-term fix, albeit that view seems to have softened. Might that have something to do with a rather large survival bonus?
I'm only speculating, but if that's the reason he's changed his mind, it doesn't strike me as the best idea. If Spurs stay up and decide he is the man for the long term in the summer, then so be it.
But to get to that stage, they should be looking at somebody who, for want of a better term, knows the club. All manner of ex-Spurs figures have thrown their hats into the ring to help them out of this hole.
I think a concoction of Ryan Mason, Robbie Keane and Ben Davies, or something along those lines, is probably the way to go. All relatively recently involved at the club, will get the fans on side and will be able to relate to the players.
But ultimately, it's on the players to get their way out of this mess.
Alex Richards
This is a really tough time for the Spurs hierarchy, a group who haven’t covered themselves in glory when it comes to making managerial appointments for quite a while - and even more so since Daniel Levy was shifted aside.
Given the horrors of this season, any manager of any repute has them over a barrel when it comes to cutting a deal and making demands for next season (should indeed they stay up).
Some might say going for their No.1 target Roberto De Zerbi and just giving him everything he wants is worth the risk. The Italian is seen by some as a genius tactically, and certainly, the hype around him never stops.
But he is also combative, falls out with players and those above, and has a very big ‘Antonio Conte at Spurs’ feel about him - i.e. it’ll all end in tears.
It does feel like Spurs, by hook or by crook, just need to get through to the summer. Perhaps then, you hand it to Ben Davies and Bruno Saltor to get the job done, two men trusted by the current crop of players who can embolden a misfiring cast to come together and do what’s needed, before allowing you to enter the managerial market in a stronger position when the season has ended.
That sounds almost sensible. But sensible isn’t really the Spurs way in recent times. So go get De Zerbi. Stick him under the gun and let’s see if his reputation is well earned.
If he can get this squad playing and is promised funds in the summer, it might well be a risk worth taking and he knows what he's working with and gets chance to evaluate before pre-season. It can be a move for both the short and long term.
And if it all goes pear shaped in spectacularly quick style… well, the Championship can be a nice place come August.
Conor Mummery
It's the biggest decision Tottenham chiefs Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange will ever make. Spurs have seven games to stay in the Premier League and the next managerial appointment has to be the right one.
Venkatesham and Lange's decision to appoint Igor Tudor was a disastrous one. You could see the thinking in that he's succeeded in Italy coming in at a similar point in the season with Juventus and Lazio, but to appoint a manager who with no experience of the Premier League and with Spurs in such a precarious position was bordering on negligence.
An array of Tottenham legends have been linked with the role, but the likes of Tim Sherwood, Glenn Hoddle and Harry Redknapp have been out of work for far too long and the game has passed them by.
Roberto De Zerbi looks the favourite, the Italian does not come without baggage and supporters groups voiced their concerns over the weekend.
If you're basing it purely his managerial capabilities, the former Brighton boss may give the players the shock treatment they need and get them playing the front foot football the squad was built for.
Spurs aren't going to defend their way out of this relegation scrap, their only chance of staying up is taking the game to their opponents and getting results on their own terms.
Martin Domin
They gotta Röhl with it.