ESPN

The appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur is already proving to be controversial.

Several Spurs fan groups officially recognised by the club have voiced concerns over De Zerbi due to the Italian's previous comments about Mason Greenwood -- the ex-Manchester United forward who was charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in October 2022.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 after key witnesses withdrew and "new material came to light."

Greenwood then joined Marsielle in 2024, when De Zerbi was the manager of the Ligue 1 side.

De Zerbi later praised Greenwood as "a good guy" who had paid a "heavy price" because "I know a totally different person than the one who was described."

These comments form the basis of the opposition by three Spurs fan groups -- Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach -- and the official Tottenham Hotspur's Supporters' Trust, who have all issued statements expressing discomfort with the appointment of De Zerbi.

What Proud Lilywhites said before De Zerbi was announced:

Before De Zerbi was officially announced as the new Spurs manager, the club's LGBTQ+ supporters group Proud Lilywhites on their social media accounts said:

"As Proud Lilywhites, we care deeply about this club, not just what happens on the pitch, but what Tottenham stands for off it. This isn't just about results or style of football. It's about values, identity, and the kind of people we choose to represent us.

"Football doesn't exist in a vacuum. Clubs set standards, whether they intend to or not, and those standards shape how people feel, who feels welcome, and what behaviour is seen as acceptable," the statement continued.

"[..] The manager plays a huge role in that. They set the tone every day through what they say, what they overlook, and what they defend.

"[..] When someone in that position publicly defends a player like Mason Greenwood, and frames it in a way that downplays the seriousness of what happened, it matters, not just in isolation but in what it signals.

"We are not asking for perfection. We are asking for accountability, transparency, and leadership that reflects the values this club claims to stand for."

What Proud Lilywhites said after De Zerbi was announced:

Proud Lilywhites issued a follow-up statement once De Zerbi's appointment was made official by Spurs that said:

"Whilst we disagree with the managerial choice, in terms of culture and competence, we will continue to support the players without pretending to be comfortable with the appointment,

"Staying silent is not the answer. But choosing when and where to be vocal matters. Managers come and go. Executives come and go. Players come and go. Fans remain. We are the constant in this club.

"[...] This is not noise or reaction. It is a considered position, and it is not going away."

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What Women of the Lane said before De Zerbi was announced:

Meanwhile, Women of the Lane -- a Spurs supporters' group that describes itself as a space for "women and non-binary Spurs fans to meet up, connect online and eradicate sexism & misogyny in football" -- also issued a strong statement expressing disappointment over De Zerbi's hiring, having already said prior to the official announcement that the appointment raised "serious questions about judgment and leadership."

Women of the Lane said before De Zerbi was appointed that he has "publicly Mason Greenwood in a way that downplays the seriousness of male violence against women and girls."

What Women of the Lane said after De Zerbi was announced:

"Culture is what you do, not what you say. It isn't built in statements. It's built in decisions. In who you appoint. In what you are prepared to overlook," the most recent statement by Women of the Lane reads.

"This appointment looks the other way and we will continue to challenge the club on it."

What Spurs Reach said before De Zerbi was announced:

Spurs Reach, the official Tottenham Hotspur Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage supporters' association, said before De Zerbi officially joined the club that the appointment was worrying as De Zerbi's Greenwood comments risked "normalising harmful attitudes, diminishing the experiences of survivors, and sending a deeply concerning message about what is tolerated within the game."

Following the official announcement of De Zerbi as manager, Spurs Reach said:

"As a group of fans who care about inclusion, representation and how people are treated, this one doesn't fully sit right with us, both culturally and in the bigger picture.

"We just want the people leading the club to reflect values where every supporter feels respected and part of it."

What Spurs Reach said after De Zerbi was announced:

In a later statement, Spurs Reach also said that they will continue to support the team -- despite De Zerbi's arrival.

"We're Spurs through and through, always have been, always will be. Managers and players come and go, but the fans are the constant. Our support for the club we love, the community, and each other goes way beyond any one appointment.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust -- which often works with the club on campaigns and fan initiatives -- issued a statement after the official announcement of De Zerbi as manager in which they acknowledged the "need to act with urgency as Spurs face the prospect of relegation" but also said that "the appointment raises serious and far-reaching concerns," claiming that "many fans have been in touch with us to urge us to communicate the strength of feeling."

The Trust said De Zerbi's comments about Greenwood were "unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of supporters and, without doubt, will have left victims of male violence alarmed."

"Any perceived sympathy toward alleged perpetrators of physical or sexual violence against women fundamentally undermines trust in the custodianship of this club," the Trust's statement further continued.

"We will continue to support efforts to get behind the team and play our part in preserving the club's Premier League status but it is understandable that many fans will do so with a heavy heart."

In Tottenham's official announcement of De Zerbi as manager, there was no mention of the concerns raised by fan groups or De Zerbi's previous comments about Greenwood.

Tottenham's sporting director Johan Lange said: "Roberto was our number one target for the summer, and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.

"He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football, and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League."

The biggest news in club football right now is at Tottenham Hotspur, who have appointed another manager with Roberto De Zerbi signing a five-year deal to replace Igor Tudor after the interim coach lasted just six weeks in the role.

De Zerbi, who has been out of work since exiting Ligue 1 side Marseille in February, has a seismic task ahead of him in north London. His new club are facing a battle to avoid Premier League relegation for a second straight season, sitting just one point above the bottom three with seven matchdays remaining.

"I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world," De Zerbi said in a club statement. "I am here because I believe in that ambition, and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it."

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De Zerbi is Tottenham's third manager of the 2025-26 season, following Thomas Frank (fired in February) and the outgoing Igor Tudor, who was relieved of his duties on March 29 without winning any of his five league games. But why did Tottenham land on the fiery former Brighton & Hove Albion manager, and what can he do with this squad from a tactical perspective in order to win their fight and remain in the Premier League?

Why have Tottenham hired De Zerbi?

Sources have told ESPN that De Zerbi was the club's preferred choice for a long-term appointment this summer; they even tried to hire him after Thomas Frank's sacking in February. De Zerbi parted company with Marseille on the same day Frank was sacked by Spurs, but sources familiar with the discussions told ESPN that the Italian's reluctance to jump straight into another job forced the club to look at alternatives, eventually hiring Tudor.

De Zerbi, 46, was also part of the conversation when Tottenham opted to appoint Frank last year. Back then, the club identified 10 criteria for a new head coach, which included a track record in developing young players, communicating effectively with the media and an attractive style of football. Despite Frank's failure in the role, those criteria largely remain in place. In a rare interview with media including ESPN on Feb. 20, sporting director Johan Lange expanded on the point about style.

"We are very ambitious to create a team that can play dominant football and that can control the matches with the ball for a few reasons," said Lange. "If you look across almost every league in the world, that is how you can say the top teams normally are successful -- that is being able to dominate possession, create chances, be aggressive without the ball and so that is of course the football.

De Zerbi's Brighton fits that profile, but the reality is that style can come later. More immediately, he has seven games to help Spurs avoid the catastrophe of relegation to the Championship.

Sources with knowledge of the process say the club were also keen to avoid the instability of another interim appointment, believing there to be no other highly credible coach available right now. The view was also taken that a group of players low on confidence and coached in dramatically different ways by Frank and Tudor would benefit from the stability of knowing the new head coach was not just passing through, having signed a long-term contract through 2031.

Further benefits come in the certainty De Zerbi's appointment should yield in the transfer market. Spurs cannot guarantee what level of football they can offer prospective signings next summer, but with De Zerbi in place, the club can identify and begin laying the groundwork on the targets they need to help him implement his style of football. Equally, De Zerbi can make detailed assessments of the existing squad and begin clarifying who he wants to work with next season.

Sources told ESPN there is an acknowledgment internally that a major overhaul of the playing staff is needed, plus a more aggressive approach to the club's wage structure that's long been comparatively conservative by traditional 'Big Six' standards. However, one note of caution came on Monday in Spurs' latest financials for the year ending June 30, 2025: a loss of £94.7 million and a net debt of £831.2 million.

Spurs also worked hard to change De Zerbi's mind over taking the role this season, sources told ESPN. One source has suggested there is a substantial bonus written into his new contract which is triggered if relegation is successfully avoided. The five-year deal -- again, a length designed to provide as much stability as possible -- has no relegation clause in a strong show of faith from both sides.

De Zerbi is indeed an effective communicator, but also a controversial one. He has a track record of falling out with players and executives, disagreements with the latter hinging on him demanding a greater say in transfer strategy and more aggression in the market.

Sources have told ESPN that the more volatile elements of De Zerbi's character were acknowledged and considered, but at the same time, bringing in a manager with such a defined vision of what he wants and how he wants to play can give clarity to the team's direction, which has felt decidedly rudderless of late. Put simply, De Zerbi's force of personality could fill a void that many staff believe exists at the club in terms of their future strategy.

Sources say both the club and De Zerbi are sensitive to his past comments on Mason Greenwood, amid three Spurs fans groups voicing their opposition to his appointment. Greenwood initially faced three charges -- one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm -- in October 2022. The case was later discontinued after key witnesses withdrew and "new material came to light."

Greenwood joined Marseille in 2024, and De Zerbi later praised him as "a good guy" who had paid a "heavy price." Sources have told ESPN that those words were discussed as part of the hiring process, but Spurs felt sufficiently confident to proceed. -- James Olley

Is De Zerbi the right man to keep Spurs up?

During two seasons with Brighton, from 2022-24, De Zerbi made a profound tactical impact on the Premier League. The Italian instructed his players to do something quite curious that made them stand out from the rest of the division.

Watch any Brighton game from 2023 and you'll see something you don't really see anywhere else: Very frequently, when in possession midway up the pitch, the Seagulls' center backs not only came to a complete standstill with the ball, but they placed their studs on top of it too. This was De Zerbi's attempt to wave a red flag at a charging bull; he wanted opponents to react to that by pressing his players and trying to recover the ball. That became known as "baiting the press," and once it happened Brighton would play a neat triangle around the opponents -- and suddenly find themselves galloping into the space that opened up.

For a heavily possession-focused coach -- and make no mistake, with De Zerbi, it's all about having the ball -- this was a crucial tool in opening up teams that tried to sit in, defend deeper and protect the center of the pitch... and it worked.

Brighton finished sixth in 2022-23, the best league placement in club history, and led them into a European campaign for the first time. Only Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City scored more goals than the Seagulls' 72. Alexis Mac Allister, Moisés Caicedo, Leandro Trossard and Kaoru Mitoma all broke out under De Zerbi's guidance.

The Italian prioritises technically skilled players in every position -- even goalkeeper -- as he demands his team continually play short from the back. When it works, it looks amazing: slick combination moves bypass opponents' pressing and open up the whole pitch to attack in transition.

Defensively, De Zerbi-led teams are aggressive in trying to win the ball back high up. De Zerbi asks his striker to set the press and for his teammates to follow him in. One of the benefits of having lots of possession -- his teams typically average more than 55% possession across a season, while individual games can spike into the high 60s or low 70s -- is that you can conserve energy while on the ball, then expend it closing down when you lose it.

All of this, naturally, sounds wonderful on paper, and there's clear evidence that his methods have led to good, even great things at Sassuolo, Brighton and Marseille in the last decade. But the big problem here is how much of it can be applied to Tottenham in their current predicament. By the time they next play, at Sunderland on April 12, Spurs could be in the bottom three if relegation rivals West Ham United win they home game against bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers two days earlier.

Will the Tottenham defensive unit be comfortable with a sudden switch to playing out under pressure and baiting the press? Can an effective pressing system of their own be instilled in such a short space of time? And, most crucially, do Spurs have the right midfielders to even play heavy possession football?

One thing must be made very clear: In this iteration of the Premier League, where teams have spent big money to get bigger, stronger and more athletic, playing bad possession football is a recipe for disaster. Loose passes are pounced upon and punished in an instant. The vast majority of teams in the league have abandoned the idea of playing total football because they're simply not good enough to do it -- or the risks are too great.

Will De Zerbi stay true to his ideology despite the truly desperate situation he now finds himself in, or will he compromise on his principles in the short-term? If the answer is the latter...will that even work? -- Sam Tighe

New Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi has already been dealt an injury blow after midfielder Pape Sarr was unable to feature for Senegal in their friendly with Gambia.

De Zerbi was confirmed as Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, which does not contain a relegation release clause, the Press Association understands, despite the north London club being only one point above the Premier League bottom three.

With seven games left this season, De Zerbi has limited time to work with a team without a league win in 2026, but has immediately been affected by an ongoing injury crisis in N17.

Senegal midfielder Sarr joined up with his national team last week and featured in Saturday's 2-0 win over Peru, but was left out of the squad to face Gambia on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury, according to Senegalese media.

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Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Roberto De Zerbi to replace Igor Tudor.

The former Marseille manager, who had been out of work since leaving the French club in February, joins with the club mired in a Premier League relegation battle just one point ahead of the bottom three in the table.

Sources told ESPN that the deal with the Italian includes a substantial bonus for keeping the club in the Premier League. It is currently unclear if any provision is made for the club's potential relegation.

"I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world," De Zerbi said in a club statement.

"In all my discussions with the Club's leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear -- to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.

"Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I'm looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that."

Tottenham's sporting director Johan Lange said: "Roberto was our number one target for the summer, and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.

"He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football, and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League."

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust (THST) issued a statement expressing concern about the appointment, due to De Zerbi's support of Mason Greenwood.

Greenwood had been charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behavior and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in October 2022, but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 after key witnesses withdrew and "new material came to light."

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"While we recognise the limited pool of managers with recent Premier League experience, and the need to act with urgency as Spurs face the prospect of relegation, this appointment raises serious and far-reaching concerns, and many fans have been in touch with us to urge us to communicate the strength of feeling. We raised these concerns directly with the Club prior to its announcement," a THST statement said.

"The Club has previously committed to challenging instances of violence against women and girls and acting with integrity and upholding its values when faced with any incidents.

"De Zerbi's comments about Mason Greenwood were unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of supporters and, without doubt, will have left victims of male violence alarmed. We believe these statements, left unchecked, will create a divide among supporters at a time when we all need to be pulling together to back the team.

"It is concerning that the Club would put us in this position right when the team needs fans the most. Fans are rallying behind the "All Together, Always" initiative, and this appointment places heavy strain on that unity. If those remarks reflect his genuine views, they cast a troubling shadow over the values of the Club we love.

"The Club must reassert its commitment to the values that fans hold dear -- chief among them equality, respect, and integrity. Any perceived sympathy toward alleged perpetrators of physical or sexual violence against women fundamentally undermines trust in the custodianship of this Club."

De Zerbi's first task will be a visit to Sunderland in the Premier League on April 12.

Information from ESPN's James Olley was used in this report.

Tottenham are set to announce the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their head coach after agreeing the framework of a five-year deal, sources have told ESPN.

The Italian was initially reluctant to join the club immediately but talks have progressed in the past 48 hours with Spurs now increasingly confident of providing formal confirmation in the coming days.

Sources have told ESPN that the proposed deal with De Zerbi includes a substantial bonus for keeping the club in the Premier League. It is currently unclear if any provision is made for the club's potential relegation.

Spurs are 17th in the Premier League, just one point and one place above the relegation zone after a run of one win in seven games across all competitions saw the club part company with Igor Tudor on Sunday.

De Zerbi is expected to be in place at Spurs' training ground later this week to meet the Spurs players returning from international duty.

He will have more than a week's training with the group before their next game at Sunderland on April 12.

Spurs will consider De Zerbi's imminent arrival as something of a coup given his reputation in England remains high from his time at Brighton and he attracted interest from other clubs in Europe.

The 46-year-old is a renowned tactician who left Marseille by mutual consent last month with the club fourth in Ligue 1, winning more than half of his 69 games in charge.

In a two-year spell at Brighton between 2022 and 2024, De Zerbi guided Brighton to European qualification for the first time in their history with a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.

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He left a year later, after an 11th-place finish, amid disagreements with the board over the club's transfer strategy, hinting at a potentially volatile character that some Spurs supporters have expressed concerns over.

Three Spurs fans groups - Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach - also opposed De Zerbi's appointment due to his public support for Mason Greenwood, the ex-Manchester United forward who was charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in October 2022.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 after key witnesses withdrew and "new material came to light."

Greenwood subsequently joined Marseille in 2024.

De Zerbi later praised Greenwood as "a good guy" who had paid a "heavy price" because "I know a totally different person than the one who was described."

Tottenham had also held an interest in former coach Mauricio Pochettino but the Argentine is committed to leading the USMNT into the World Cup.

Several interim options including Sean Dyche, Harry Redknapp, Glenn Hoddle and Tim Sherwood had been linked with the role but Spurs were keen to make a permanent appointment to provide stability to the head coach position after Thomas Frank was sacked in February having only taken charge last summer, before Tudor lasted just 44 days in the role.

MARIETTA, Georgia - United States manager Mauricio Pochettino said he hasn't had discussions with either Tottenham Hotspur or Real Madrid, adding that his focus is on Tuesday's friendly against Portugal and the World Cup.

When asked later if he was open to remaining the USMNT manager beyond the World Cup, Pochettino said: "Never say never. In football, everything can happen."

Pochettino's name has been linked to both clubs in recent weeks -- with Tottenham manager Igor Tudor leaving the club on Sunday -- but he was definitive when asked if there had been any contact.

"No. At the moment, no," he said at Monday's news conference. "I think we are very, very focused here in the World Cup. I think everyone knows that I am committed with the national team here. I think it's not a point to talk about the future at the moment."

The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach later said: "I think who knows what is going to happen? Like I said, we are open. We don't have contract for the future. But why not ? If we are happy, and the federation is happy and [we'll have] to see. I think the most important now is to be focusing [on Tuesday] and in the World Cup and to try to improve.

"I think we are focusing to improve the team. Of course, the rumors are there, but that is our business and we accept it."

In terms of personnel, Pochettino said that midfielder Johnny Cardoso won't play against Portugal, and has been sent home to club side Atlético Madrid after continuing to feel the same discomfort in his leg that he arrived to camp with.

As for defender Chris Richards, who missed Saturday's 5-2 defeat to Belgium with knee soreness, the Crystal Palace back said he was available for Tuesday's match, though Pochettino said he would still be evaluated later on Monday.

"I'm fine. I had a bad tackle in my last game with Palace, and so just a little bit of knee pain, knee soreness," Richards said ahead of Monday's training session. "But I've been training individually all week and yeah, I'm available for [Tuesday]."

Richards absence was keenly felt in the loss to Belgium, with the U.S. missing his leadership, positioning and athleticism. Richards said that despite the heavy scoreline, the U.S. defense isn't that far away from delivering the necessary level of performance. He pointed to the team's strong first half as evidence of what can be achieved.

"I know it's a game of two halves, but I think it's a really strong performance from the team and for the first 60 minutes," Richards said. "I think second half, there's moments here and there, but Belgium's a top team. These are the kind of caliber teams that we need to play that we haven't been able to play due to them having World Cup qualifiers and things like that. But again, I think it's best that we learn these lessons now before the World Cup and us getting there and learning the hard way.

"So regardless of the result, I think the team for the majority of the game had a good performance."

For Pochettino, the key is maintaining the intensity the team played with in the first half of Saturday's match, which finished 1-1.

"I think we need to extend this type of performance, the intensity that we need to improve [is] in the defensive [side]," Pochettino said. "But the most important is not Portugal. The most important is that we need to improve in this area from one game to another."

Richards took that even further, saying the U.S. needed to play with more physicality and instill fear in other teams with how it arrived defensively.

"I think when you think of the best defenders, you think of guys who kind of want to run through a brick wall and I think that's something that I think we can add to our game" Richards said. "I think there's moments here and there where you've seen that kind of toughness. And I think sometimes, like for example, the other day, we maybe let in a few, I guess, soft goals. So I think something that I think we can bring to it is just this toughness.

"I think when attackers fear you, I think it makes your game a little bit easier. Maybe they're a bit hesitant going into a header, maybe they're a bit hesitant taking a shot because they know that the back line's going to be strong."

Igor Tudor will be remembered at Tottenham Hotspur as the firefighter who used gasoline instead of water. That's if he's remembered at all.

Spurs and Tudor parted company on Sunday, just 43 days after replacing Thomas Frank as manager with a chance of getting the job on a permanent basis. His mission was simple, according to a club statement at the time: "To improve performances, deliver results and move Spurs up the Premier League table."

It turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. Depending on what comes next, Tudor's tenure will have accelerated Tottenham's slide toward the existential crisis of relegation, or it will stand as a footnote in one of the worst seasons in the club's 143-year history.

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But he didn't start the fire. Since the beginning of last season, Spurs have lost a staggering 46 games in all competitions. They won the UEFA Europa League under Ange Postecoglou, but a rot set in domestically during the second half of last year that has so far proved more deep-rooted than anyone imagined. There is widespread anger and apathy from a fan base that believes its club is broken, drifting under a lack of direction from its owners.

Sources have told ESPN that Spurs are attempting to convince Roberto De Zerbi to become their next head coach. Sources say the Italian indicated during initial talks that he is open to the role, but only at the end of the season and as long as Tottenham remain a Premier League club.

Spurs are now working to convince him to join immediately because, for the third time this season, they need someone to come in and salvage a desperate situation. Here's the story of how things got worse during Tudor's short reign.

Catastrophic start

In a rare interview with media on Feb. 20, sporting director Johan Lange explained why Tudor got the job.

"We interviewed a few candidates," he said. "Igor impressed us very, very much in the interview. Obviously, we also managed to take references of Igor. He comes in with very big experience at the highest level in football.

"He has shown the capabilities of coming into clubs around this time -- February, March -- and also big clubs, and made an immediate performance impact. That was of course a very big reason."

There is evidence for that. At Udinese (twice), Hellas Verona, Lazio and Juventus, Tudor has increased the points-per-game average of all of those teams when arriving midseason.

"There is a big difference, if you are a coach for example, who has only started a new job on July 1," Lange added. "You have six or seven weeks to prepare to get to know the club.

"I'm not saying that necessarily is easy, but that's a different challenge. If you come in here on the Monday and you are playing at the weekend, you need to build relationships with the players immediately."

Sources told ESPN that Tudor quickly set about trying to increase the intensity of training, believing the players needed to be fitter. They ran ... a lot. However, his efforts on the training ground were complicated by the fact that his trusted assistant, Ivan Javorcic, never arrived at Spurs due to work-permit issues.

Tudor also spoke bullishly in public about being "100% convinced" Spurs would not be relegated, in fact suggesting it was almost a waste of time to even talk about relegation. (He leaves with the club in 17th place, one point above the bottom three with seven games remaining.)

His first game was a tough one: Premier League leaders Arsenal at home. But the visit of their north London rivals, who are chasing down a first title in 22 years, was at least guaranteed to unite the fan base behind a managerial appointment that did not leap off the page.

Yet what followed was catastrophe. Spurs managed to get to halftime at 1-1, but that owed more to Arsenal's carelessness. The Gunners sharpened their focus in the second half and ran out 4-1 winners, after which Tudor spoke with the candor of a head coach who had very quickly worked out the fundamental issues.

"What is the goal of this club? What is the goal of this team? What is the goal of this coach, these players, this staff?" he asked. "To become serious. Serious, not just a group of 20 players, and the medicine is you look in the mirror. Each of us look in the mirror and really try, really start to change the habits."

Tudor was even more blunt when losing 2-1 at Fulham a week later, claiming they "lacked everything" across the pitch. Sources have told ESPN that there was some surprise internally at Tudor's willingness to speak in such derogatory terms about a group of players so short on confidence.

That perhaps explains why his reaction to a third consecutive defeat -- at home to Crystal Palace on March 5 -- was so different, claiming he had "more belief than ever" in the group. Yet results didn't improve.

Kinsky's nightmare

First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had not enjoyed the best of seasons -- he had been jeered by some Tottenham supporters at the end of Frank's reign. But still, Tudor's decision to drop the Italian for Antonín Kinsky when Spurs traveled to Atlético Madrid shocked many.

Except what followed was even worse. Kinsky made errors for two early goals and was substituted just 17 minutes into the club's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Tudor did not console Kinsky as he trudged off and instead Conor Gallagher, João Palhinha and Dominic Solanke followed him down the tunnel.

The 22-year-old was humiliated -- it was the earliest a goalkeeper had ever been substituted in a Champions League knockout tie. Sources have told ESPN that several players were stunned by Tudor's approach, but others in the squad believed a hard line was needed in general to make the group aware of the situation it was in.

Consequently, Tudor also continued to make tactical changes -- switching between a back three and a back four, even playing a natural fullback in Pedro Porro as a right-sided center back against Palace -- in pursuit of a winning formula.

Publicly he spoke of players needing to be "on the boat," but privately, sources say, Tudor quickly harbored doubts about the character of several members of the first-team group.

Spurs were beaten 5-2 in Madrid, and calls from outside the club for Tudor to be sacked soon ramped up.

The false dawn and the bitter end

ESPN reported the morning after that Atlético defeat that Tudor would be given the chance to lead the team at Liverpool. They have won only twice at Anfield in the Premier League era and many feared another hiding, but Spurs showed resilience to earn a 1-1 draw through Richarlison's late strike.

Despite having 13 players out injured, Tottenham deserved the point they earned at Liverpool, even though their Premier League winless streak extended to three months. That said, the sense of momentum continued four days later as they beat Atlético Madrid 3-2 at home. It was not enough to avoid exiting the Champions League -- they lost 7-5 on aggregate -- but their first win in any competition for eight weeks seemed to set up the blockbuster visit of relegation rivals Nottingham Forest perfectly.

Spurs did everything to whip up the crowd, offering drinks promotions for fans arriving early and encouraging supporters to line the streets and greet the team bus, while a prematch message from captain Cristian Romero posted across social media acted as a call to action.

As a result, the atmosphere before kickoff was electric. Spurs started well but could not make the breakthrough and once Igor Jesus put Forest ahead on the stroke of halftime, Spurs went on to lose 3-0.

Sources have told ESPN that Frank felt the group did not respond well to setbacks and some of his work behind the scenes was designed to help improve this aspect. It was just one of many problems Tudor inherited, along with a squad decimated by injury, a broken relationship between the club and its supporters and a general sense of an organization as rudderless as it was when Frank was fired less than two months earlier.

Tudor was informed of the death of his father, Mario, after the end of the Forest game and was effectively put on compassionate leave last week before both parties agreed to part company on Sunday. Now, with the manager's job officially vacant, the search for a new boss is on.

There are major questions for Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham to answer about why Tudor was hired. With De Zerbi now in their sights, they have to get this appointment right, otherwise Tottenham's house will burn down.

Igor Tudor will be remembered at Tottenham Hotspur as the firefighter who used gasoline instead of water. That's if he's remembered at all.

Spurs and Tudor parted company on Sunday, just 43 days after replacing Thomas Frank as manager with a chance of getting the job on a permanent basis. His mission was simple, according to a club statement at the time: "To improve performances, deliver results and move Spurs up the Premier League table."

It turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. Depending on what comes next, Tudor's tenure will have accelerated Tottenham's slide toward the existential crisis of relegation, or it will stand as a footnote in one of the worst seasons in the club's 143-year history.

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But he didn't start the fire. Since the beginning of last season, Spurs have lost a staggering 46 games in all competitions. They won the UEFA Europa League under Ange Postecoglou, but a rot set in domestically during the second half of last year that has so far proved more deep-rooted than anyone imagined. There is widespread anger and apathy from a fan base that believes its club is broken, drifting under a lack of direction from its owners.

Sources have told ESPN that Spurs are attempting to convince Roberto De Zerbi to become their next head coach. Sources say the Italian indicated during initial talks that he is open to the role, but only at the end of the season and as long as Tottenham remain a Premier League club.

Spurs are now working to convince him to join immediately because, for the third time this season, they need someone to come in and salvage a desperate situation. Here's the story of how things got worse during Tudor's short reign.

Catastrophic start

In a rare interview with media on Feb. 20, sporting director Johan Lange explained why Tudor got the job.

"We interviewed a few candidates," he said. "Igor impressed us very, very much in the interview. Obviously, we also managed to take references of Igor. He comes in with very big experience at the highest level in football.

"He has shown the capabilities of coming into clubs around this time -- February, March -- and also big clubs, and made an immediate performance impact. That was of course a very big reason."

There is evidence for that. At Udinese (twice), Hellas Verona, Lazio and Juventus, Tudor has increased the points-per-game average of all of those teams when arriving midseason.

"There is a big difference, if you are a coach for example, who has only started a new job on July 1," Lange added. "You have six or seven weeks to prepare to get to know the club.

"I'm not saying that necessarily is easy, but that's a different challenge. If you come in here on the Monday and you are playing at the weekend, you need to build relationships with the players immediately."

Sources told ESPN that Tudor quickly set about trying to increase the intensity of training, believing the players needed to be fitter. They ran ... a lot. However, his efforts on the training ground were complicated by the fact that his trusted assistant, Ivan Javorcic, never arrived at Spurs due to work-permit issues.

Tudor also spoke bullishly in public about being "100% convinced" Spurs would not be relegated, in fact suggesting it was almost a waste of time to even talk about relegation. (He leaves with the club in 17th place, one point above the bottom three with seven games remaining.)

His first game was a tough one: Premier League leaders Arsenal at home. But the visit of their north London rivals, who are chasing down a first title in 22 years, was at least guaranteed to unite the fan base behind a managerial appointment that did not leap off the page.

Yet what followed was catastrophe. Spurs managed to get to halftime at 1-1, but that owed more to Arsenal's carelessness. The Gunners sharpened their focus in the second half and ran out 4-1 winners, after which Tudor spoke with the candor of a head coach who had very quickly worked out the fundamental issues.

"What is the goal of this club? What is the goal of this team? What is the goal of this coach, these players, this staff?" he asked. "To become serious. Serious, not just a group of 20 players, and the medicine is you look in the mirror. Each of us look in the mirror and really try, really start to change the habits."

Tudor was even more blunt when losing 2-1 at Fulham a week later, claiming they "lacked everything" across the pitch. Sources have told ESPN that there was some surprise internally at Tudor's willingness to speak in such derogatory terms about a group of players so short on confidence.

That perhaps explains why his reaction to a third consecutive defeat -- at home to Crystal Palace on March 5 -- was so different, claiming he had "more belief than ever" in the group. Yet results didn't improve.

Kinsky's nightmare

First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had not enjoyed the best of seasons -- he had been jeered by some Tottenham supporters at the end of Frank's reign. But still, Tudor's decision to drop the Italian for Antonín Kinsky when Spurs traveled to Atlético Madrid shocked many.

Except what followed was even worse. Kinsky made errors for two early goals and was substituted just 17 minutes into the club's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Tudor did not console Kinsky as he trudged off and instead Conor Gallagher, João Palhinha and Dominic Solanke followed him down the tunnel.

The 22-year-old was humiliated -- it was the earliest a goalkeeper had ever been substituted in a Champions League knockout tie. Sources have told ESPN that several players were stunned by Tudor's approach, but others in the squad believed a hard line was needed in general to make the group aware of the situation it was in.

Consequently, Tudor also continued to make tactical changes -- switching between a back three and a back four, even playing a natural fullback in Pedro Porro as a right-sided center back against Palace -- in pursuit of a winning formula.

Publicly he spoke of players needing to be "on the boat," but privately, sources say, Tudor quickly harbored doubts about the character of several members of the first-team group.

Spurs were beaten 5-2 in Madrid, and calls from outside the club for Tudor to be sacked soon ramped up.

The false dawn and the bitter end

ESPN reported the morning after that Atlético defeat that Tudor would be given the chance to lead the team at Liverpool. They have won only twice at Anfield in the Premier League era and many feared another hiding, but Spurs showed resilience to earn a 1-1 draw through Richarlison's late strike.

Despite having 13 players out injured, Tottenham deserved the point they earned at Liverpool, even though their Premier League winless streak extended to three months. That said, the sense of momentum continued four days later as they beat Atlético Madrid 3-2 at home. It was not enough to avoid exiting the Champions League -- they lost 7-5 on aggregate -- but their first win in any competition for eight weeks seemed to set up the blockbuster visit of relegation rivals Nottingham Forest perfectly.

Spurs did everything to whip up the crowd, offering drinks promotions for fans arriving early and encouraging supporters to line the streets and greet the team bus, while a prematch message from captain Cristian Romero posted across social media acted as a call to action.

As a result, the atmosphere before kickoff was electric. Spurs started well but could not make the breakthrough and once Igor Jesus put Forest ahead on the stroke of halftime, Spurs went on to lose 3-0.

Sources have told ESPN that Frank felt the group did not respond well to setbacks and some of his work behind the scenes was designed to help improve this aspect. It was just one of many problems Tudor inherited, along with a squad decimated by injury, a broken relationship between the club and its supporters and a general sense of an organization as rudderless as it was when Frank was fired less than two months earlier.

Tudor was informed of the death of his father, Mario, after the end of the Forest game and was effectively put on compassionate leave last week before both parties agreed to part company on Sunday. Now, with the manager's job officially vacant, the search for a new boss is on.

There are major questions for Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham to answer about why Tudor was hired. With De Zerbi now in their sights, they have to get this appointment right, otherwise Tottenham's house will burn down.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has made his first venture into full-time management by taking the head coach role at National League side Woking.

The appointment comes on the same day that Spurs announced the exit of Igor Tudor and his staff.

Defoe had been linked with a return to Spurs' coaching staff amid Tudor's struggles, having previously worked as an academy coach at the north London club, but will now take the senior job at Woking.

Defoe's only previous experience in senior management was a short spell as part of a four-man caretaker team that took charge of Rangers after Steven Gerrard's departure in 2021.

"Woking is a historic club with huge potential, and I'm thrilled to be part of this exciting project. I can't wait to get started," Defoe, who managed 20 goals in 57 appearances for England, said in a statement.

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Woking sit mid-table in England's fifth-tier, nine points off the top seven.

"Jermain's achievements as a player speak for themselves, but what stood out to us during the process was how he sees the game, how he drives standards, and his approach to leadership and player development," club chairman Todd Johnson said.

"We have a clear plan for where we want to go as a club, and we believe Jermain is the right person to build on the strong foundations already in place and help take us forward in the next phase of that journey."

Defoe also turned out for Portsmouth, Sunderland, Rangers and West Ham among others in a storied playing career.

"Defoe joins the club following a distinguished playing career at the highest levels of the game and has built coaching experience through his work within the academy structure at Tottenham Hotspur and in a player-coach role at Rangers FC as part of Steven Gerrard's coaching staff," Woking said.

Tottenham Hotspur have parted company with head coach Igor Tudor by mutual consent after just 44 days in the role, the club confirmed on Sunday.

Tudor was only appointed last month and won just one of his seven matches as Spurs slipped closer to the relegation zone.

The 47-year-old replaced Thomas Frank on a short-term basis and was initially mooted as a possible permanent candidate but his sole victory came against Atletico Madrid -- which wasn't enough to avoid exiting the Champions League round-of-16, 7-5 on aggregate. They are currently 17th place in the Premier League, one point above the bottom three.

Tudor's final game in charge was last weekend's 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, shortly after which he was informed of the death of his father Mario.

Sources have told ESPN that Tudor was given time to process that bereavement before the both parties decided the best move was for Tudor to move on.

The club said in a statement: "We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect.

"Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of goalkeeping coach and physical coach.

"We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly. We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time."

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Sources have told ESPN that coach Bruno Saltor will lead training for the next few days with the vast majority of the first-team squad away on international duty.

Spurs expect to appoint a new head coach in the coming days in time for a training block ahead of their next game, a Premier League trip to Sunderland on April 12.

It is unclear whether the club will make a permanent appointment or install another interim. Sources have told ESPN that Roberto de Zerbi is one of the club's leading candidates along with USNMT head coach -- and former Tottenham manager -- Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino is committed to leading USMNT at this summer's World Cup but has expressed a willingness to return to England while sources say De Zerbi is interested in taking over at Spurs but only if they avoid relegation.

De Zerbi had shown a reluctance to take over immediately but Spurs were attempting to convince the Italian -- out of work after leaving Marseille in February -- to change his mind.

Short-term alternatives include Sean Dyche while Adi Hutter has also been linked with the post. Hutter has managed a host of clubs including Red Bull Salzburg, Young Boys, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Monchengladbach and Monaco.

Former Spurs managers Harry Redknapp and Tim Sherwood have expressed a willingness to rejoin the club if asked while Ryan Mason, who has stepped in before in similar circumstances, is out of work after leaving West Brom.