Tottenham Hotspur have named Igor Tudor as their new interim head coach until the end of the 2025/26 season, but attention is already on who the permanent manager will be in the summer.
Spurs took the decision to appoint an interim coach following the sacking of Thomas Frank, with a view to there being more choice for the permanent position in the summer when a number of high-profile names are available at the expiration of their contracts.
Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Mauricio Pochettino all see their deals end with Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and the USA national team respectively and all have been linked with the position at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Have Two Leading Contenders For Permanent Job
Roberto De Zerbi is another name to have been heavily linked with the position, after leaving his role as Marseille head coach just hours before Frank was sacked by Spurs.
GIVEMESPORT understands that De Zerbi and Pochettino are the two leading candidates to take over in the summer, with the Italian weighing up his options between now and then, with a number of other clubs, including Manchester United, likely to be in the market for his services.
De Zerbi is a fiery Italian who has shown he is not afraid to ruffle feathers. He will not shy away from speaking his mind and will rub people up the wrong way, be that inside or outside the club. A case can be made that that is exactly what Spurs need, but the club went there with Antonio Conte and look how that ended.
Pochettino meanwhile, will guide the USA team at their home World Cup in the summer of 2026 and then be assessing his options, with his USMNT contract only in place until the end of the tournament. USA sporting director Matt Crocker was tasked with bringing in a "world-class" manager to lead the States at the World Cup and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola caleld Pochettino "top class" when he was appointed manager.
The Argentinian is understood to have plenty of support within the corridors of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and has not been shy himself of talking up a return to N17, saying he has unfinished business at the club and wants to ultimately achieve what he came so close to doing in his five years with Spurs from 2014 to 2019 - winning silverware.
Pochettino Second Stint Could End In Disaster
There is an argument to be made that you should never go back. Pochettino has been there, done it and not quite been the success he wanted to be, hence the desire to return. But he would be returning to a different club, one in dire need of inspiration and uplift.
A second stint, while offering a semblance of football romance, may end in disaster and tarnish his reputation with the supporters who chanted his name during the defeat to Newcastle which ultimately ended up being Frank's final game in charge.
Frank, while clearly having a distinct lack of direction as Tottenham head coach, never really being able to get the fans - or the players it seems - on side, was not wholly to blame in the white half of north London.
The problems run deep at Spurs and former boss Ange Postecogolou spoke cutting truths in his appearance on the Rest Is Football podcast this week.
"They've built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities, but when you look at the expenditure, particularly the wage structure, they're not a big club," Postecoglou admitted. He is not alone in having those views.
Tottenham Captain Cristian Romero Regularly Speaks Out For The Supporters
Cristian Romero has been an outspoken voice in the Tottenham dressing room for years now and he has hit out at the club's hierarchy on more than one occasion. He posted a comment on social media earlier in the season, aimed at the owners, claiming they "tell a few lies" on the rare occasion that anyone at board level speaks out. That post was later amended, but in another barb he called the fact that Frank only had 11 available outfield players for the Manchester City game "unbelievable and disgraceful" in what could have been aimed at the medical department and the club's hierarchy for a lack of transfer activity.
There is a real disconnect between the club and the supporters right now, worse, it feels, than it has ever been. Former chairman Daniel Levy had his haters and there were plenty of protests about his role at the club in the final weeks and months before he was relieved of his position. But at least in that there was a common enemy and theme for the supporters to rally around. Now, the anger from the fanbase is directed here, there and everywhere.
Tottenham Need A Manager To Bring The Club Together
Frank was getting it from all angles because of the style of football on display. The players have been getting it because of the tawdry performances they have been putting in. The board have been getting it for the lack of transfer activity, the failure to make a decision on the new manager with any kind of conviction and the lack of communication that comes out of the club.
There is absolutely no feeling of togetherness at the club and that needs to change.
Tudor's appointment as interim is going to do nothing to help matters between now and the end of the season, which means this summer Spurs have to get things right.
Pochettino is the only choice to be the permanent manager. Yes, it may not be like last time. And yes, he may fail. Yes, he may have his doubters as, as loved as he is by the fanbase, he does not have the backing of 100% of the supporters (although who would?). And yes there's a certain amount of romance to it rather than hard evidence that he is the right man for the job.
But he will do one thing and it's probably the most important thing at this stage in Tottenham's ailing situation - he will unite the club from top to bottom.
Pochettino Could Have More Control At Spurs After Levy Departure
Pochettino also speaks his mind and will want to do things his way. There is an argument that without Levy in place now - a man Pochettino actually had a very good relationship with - the Argentinian may actually find he has a bit more leeway and control. But he has always seemed to conduct himself in the correct manner. He knows what he wants and he exudes calm and class. He brought a young team together in his previous five-year spell at the club and a calm and controlling head is called for now.
Pochettino will bring the players together as one and will get the fans back onside almost immediately. The supporters will look on the owners a bit more fondly because of the decision they will have made and Pochettino is also the perfect conduit between upper management and the lifeblood of the club - the long-suffering supporters.
It's a win-win, until it goes wrong. But Pochettino is the man Tottenham need. At least if it does go wrong, the huge clamour for him to return will finally be put to bed and everyone can move on. Up until then, however, Spurs will be back, together as one.