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Keep Tudor? Go for De Zerbi, Mason or Redknapp? Where do Spurs go next?

Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski has issued an update on his continued rehabilitation, saying his knee is "great" after a recent "intervention".

Kulusevski has not played since May 2025 after seriously injuring his knee in a challenge with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

The injury required surgery on the Sweden international's right patella, but he was expected to return around the end of last year.

He has remained sidlelined for longer than expected however, with former Tottenham boss Thomas Frank saying before his dismissal last month that he "didn't know" if Kulusevski would play again this season and current interim head coach Igor Tudor saying on Friday there is no timeline yet for his return.

Images on social media showing the 25-year-old limping at his country's national team camp this week had also sparked concern among Spurs fans.

In a post on his Instagram story, Kulusevski said: "Just to clarify things. I'm limping because I had a small intervention in the knee two weeks ago.

"Went in and took out what was not suppose to be there. Knee is great now. Thanks for all the support."

When asked about Kulusevski before Thursday's World Cup play-off against Ukraine, Sweden manager Graham Potter said: "Dejan is making progress, but not as quickly as we would have liked."

Northampton Saints will treat playing Saracens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as if it was a cup final, according to prop Manny Iyogun.

Saturday's Prem fixture will be the second part of a women and men's double header, titled Showdown VI, at the 62,850-capacity stadium.

Last week Saracens reported that 40,000 tickets had already been sold, external for an event which will also see Dizzee Rascal perform live between the two games.

"It's got a bit of a finals vibe to it and games like this prep you for finals in knockout rugby and that's exactly how we're approaching it," Iyogun told BBC Radio Northampton's Saints Show.

Saints are two points clear at the top of the Prem table following their narrow, below-their-best win over Newcastle Red Bulls - and have already beaten Saracens twice this season in league and cup.

Sarries, meanwhile, returned to Prem action last Friday with a heavy 62-point defeat at Bath, leaving them in sixth place, eight points outside the play-off spots.

Iyogun's team-mate Tom Lockett believes they will be playing at the "best new stadium in the UK".

"To get a chance to play in it is pretty cool, something we're all pretty excited for but ultimately we've still got to perform as if it's the Gardens or any stadium," second row Lockett said.

"We'll go down on Friday and get a feel for the stadium and then hopefully put that to the back of our mind and go and do the job.

"We've got better at that over the years, playing in big environments and finding out what works and what doesn't work and how we get back on script when things aren't going to plan.

"Obviously we want to be involved in as many big games as possible so it can only be a good thing [to play there]."

England lock Alex Coles could again be absent because of injury suffered on Six Nations duty so 23-year-old Lockett may again inherit the key role as line-out routines caller.

"Colesy is huge for us not only in terms of how he plays but also how he leads that line-out area," Lockett added.

"I've taken so much from him over the past five or six years. I like to think I'm in a good position now where I've got enough experience to take that mantle from him."

Asked how many different routines Saints have, he replied: "It's basically a language and you have to be fluent in that language to know all the different moves you could run.

"If you put a number on it, it would be well into the thousands. Colesy's coming up with new stuff all the time."

So, are there any Tottenham supporters in the Saints dressing room? Not according to Iyogun.

"It's a very tough time [to be a Spurs fan] and playing at Tottenham probably wouldn't be the best experience [if you were]," he said.

"I'm Chelsea fan so me and [strength and conditioning coach] Tommy Buller - he's a Man City fan - have a bit of a natter about it. There's a lot of football fans, Colesy's an Arsenal fan, so there's a bit of rivalry."

Igor Tudor's position as Tottenham head coach is under major threat with the club's hierarchy facing another defining decision.

So what can Spurs do next to stop the slide?

Stick with Igor Tudor?

Tudor, after four successive defeats, actually inspired improvement from Spurs in a deserved draw at Liverpool before beating Atletico Madrid – albeit in a losing Champions League cause – but normal service was resumed with the humiliating loss to Forest.

Do those in charge of Spurs really believe Tudor has the ability to pull them out of the mire – or do they acknowledge they made a serious error and it is time for another change?

Send for former Spurs firefighter?

This is the biggest dilemma CEO Vinai Venkatesham and his fellow power brokers face as they work on a strategy before their next Premier League game, away to Sunderland on 12 April.

It might be one thing to decide Tudor has to go, should they chose to make that change, but who can realistically step in for what is now a firefighting job?

Former manager Harry Redknapp has indicated his willingness to return, but is now 79 and has not worked in management since being sacked by Birmingham City in May 2017.

Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle has also suggested he would be interested, but once again this would be a dip into the distant past

Ryan Mason is a well-respected and popular figure having twice served as Spurs' caretaker manager but his reputation took a hit after being sacked by West Brom.

Tim Sherwood, the former player who left Spurs in May 2014 after a six-month spell as permanent head coach, has made it clear he fancies the job while Robbie Keane, currently at Ferencvaros in Hungary, falls into the category of the younger up-and-coming manager.

Should Spurs make big move now?

Should they throw caution to the winds and try to bring in a full-time appointment now to save their season from the ignominy of relegation?

Mauricio Pochettino would top a fan poll as the permanent successor to Thomas Frank – the Argentine still a much-loved figure after taking Spurs to the 2019 Champions League Final.

If Spurs are to seek an immediate full-time appointment, this leaves Roberto de Zerbi as frontrunner. The talented but combustible Italian established a fine reputation at Brighton and is available having left Marseille by mutual consent in February.

Any other takers?

Sean Dyche's name has inevitably been linked after a good body of work fighting against the odds while Austrian coach Adi Hutter is a rank outsider after being sacked by Monaco in October.

We asked for your views on whether the international break has come at a good time for Spurs, who are battling against relegation from the Premier League.

Here are some of your comments:

Wayne: I'm been a Spurs fan all my life and this is the worst squad I've seen. Simply I don't think we're good enough to win any of our remaining games. The international break may help, but most of the remaining fit players will be playing for their countries, so there won't be any rest. I still believe we can maybe survive hopefully.

JP: The break certainly won't hurt them.

Michael: The situation is dire but not unique, some of us remember the previous relegation with a decent squad. Replacing Tudor is paramount, obviously he has personal issues but has failed to lift or seemingly connect with the squad. He hasn't managed to change any problems that occurred under Frank. Injuries have played a great part and the failure of the hierarchy to deal with this calls them into doubt too.

Wally: I think the break will be invaluable, giving some of the injuries time to heal and get back closer to a stronger team. It needs a new manager to implement some basic common-sense football. Will it happen? Who knows.

Martin: Can't see Tudor wanting to stay under the circumstances. Players now ought to step up but, starting with the shameful sacking of Ange, they have been badly mismanaged and I don't think they have much left to give now. It's as if the club doesn't understand human motivation and thinks of players solely in terms of return on investment. So we need a great motivator, wish we could have Poch right now!

Stuart; They need to get an ex-player in until the end of the season. Someone who knows the club. Then get Poch back after the World Cup.

Paul: Don't think it would a blind bit of difference if they had two months off. They have no heart and stomach for a relegation battle.

The real drama this weekend was in north west London as Manchester City won the Carabao Cup final to quash any hopes of an Arsenal quadruple.

‌From Wembley to Tottenham might only be about 12 miles, but right now it might as well be 12 light years away for Spurs.

The lack of fight needed to stay in the Premier League was all too apparent in the 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest.

‌It has been a long time since a true giant of the English game has been relegated, but even the most die-hard Lilywhite knows this is a possibility edging towards a probability right now.

‌None of Liverpool, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea nor Arsenal have gone down this century, but Spurs are perilously close and dropping at a sickening rate.

‌Their penultimate game is at Chelsea and there is the frightening prospect that their bitter rivals could drive in the last nail in their coffin.

If that happens, it would be the most horrendous relegation in living memory.

Tottenham Hotspur's hierarchy face another defining decision as uncertainty surrounds the future of interim head coach Igor Tudor.

Tudor's failure to rescue a season spiralling into crisis was brought into even sharper focus by the damaging 3-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest on Sunday, leaving Spurs one point and one place above the Premier League's relegation zone.

The pressure is now on CEO Vinai Venkatesham - previously at Arsenal - sporting director Johan Lange, and the Lewis family, who are over-seeing affairs, as the gamble of Tudor's appointment continues to backfire.

Venkatesham, who comes under special scrutiny from fans given his Arsenal links, must get this next move right after Tudor's chaotic reign has brought only one win in seven matches so far.

If those in charge at Spurs get it wrong, the price could be arguably the most-embarrassing relegation in Premier League history and a place in the Championship.

So what can Spurs do next to stop the slide?

Tudor, after four successive defeats, actually inspired improvement from Spurs in a deserved draw at Liverpool before beating Atletico Madrid – albeit in a losing Champions League cause – but normal service was resumed with the humiliating loss to Forest.

The Croat deserves sympathy, not least as he comes to terms with the death of his father, but also because he walked into a toxic atmosphere which built up under sacked predecessor Thomas Frank. He has inherited a squad decimated by injuries and stripped of all confidence.

Spurs have problems not of Tudor's making, but he has failed to establish any connection with supporters – or seemingly his players – and there has been very little language of support, at least in the football context, from the club.

Tudor's brusque style has inspired no more out of the Spurs squad than Frank's more empathetic approach, while a series of tactical shifts have suggested he is not sure how to navigate the best route out of the current crisis.

The low point came in the Champions League last 16 first leg away to Atletico Madrid. Tudor gambled on Antonin Kinsky in goal ahead of first-choice Guglielmo Vicario, only to remove the Czech after just 17 minutes following his two catastrophic errors that left Spurs 3-0 down in an eventual 5-2 defeat.

Do those in charge of Spurs really believe Tudor has the ability to pull them out of the mire – or do they acknowledge they made a serious error and it is time for another change?

This is the biggest dilemma Venkatesham and his fellow power brokers face as they work on a strategy before their next Premier League game, away to Sunderland on 12 April.

It might be one thing to decide Tudor has to go, should they chose to make that change, but who can realistically step in for what is now a firefighting job?

Former manager Harry Redknapp has indicated his willingness to return, but is now 79 and has not worked in management since being sacked by Birmingham City in May 2017. He was sacked by Spurs 14 years ago and calling for him would surely smack of desperation.

Redknapp has said Spurs "know where I am." It would a sign of their plight should they go to find him.

Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle has also suggested he would be interested, but once again this would be a dip into the distant past.

Hoddle, now a respected television pundit, is 68, but was sacked as Spurs manager in September 2003. The last post the former England manager occupied was with Wolverhampton Wanderers, leaving in July 2006.

Ryan Mason, sacked by West Bromwich Albion in January, is a well-respected and popular figure having twice served as Spurs' caretaker manager following the sackings of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but his reputation took a hit during an unrewarding spell at The Hawthorns.

After that disappointment, would Spurs turn to him? Would he even want to walk into such an ominous situation?

Tim Sherwood, the former player who left Spurs in May 2014 after a six-month spell as permanent head coach, has made it clear he fancies the job, saying: "I would keep them in the Premier League. I believe that someone with common sense keeps them in the Premier League."

Robbie Keane, currently at Ferencvaros in Hungary, falls into the category of the younger up-and-coming manager, but would the former Spurs captain leave a full-time job for a new post that might only extend to seven games.

It does not take a leap of imagination to announce that Igor Tudor will not be the Spurs head coach at the start of next season.

Should they throw caution to the winds and try to bring in a full-time appointment now to save their season from the ignominy of relegation?

Mauricio Pochettino would top a fan poll as the permanent successor to Thomas Frank – the Argentine still a much-loved figure after taking Spurs to the 2019 Champions League Final.

There is every indication he would jump at a return to north London after he was sacked by former chairman Daniel Levy only five months after losing to Liverpool in Madrid.

Spurs fans pin the blame on Levy for failing to back the coach and many would welcome Pochettino back with open arms.

Sean Dyche's name has inevitably been linked after a good body of work fighting against the odds at Burnley and Everton, where he kept both teams up when relegation beckoned.

Do Spurs see Dyche as the sort of personality to handle Spurs, especially as his last job ended when he was sacked by Nottingham Forest after only 114 days in charge?

Austrian coach Adi Hutter is a rank outsider, although he did win admirers in the Premier League with his work at clubs such as Eintracht Frankfurt.

Hutter is on the market after being sacked by Monaco in October, but he really would be a wild card.

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino says he misses "the world of football in England".

Pochettino is preparing to lead co-hosts the United States at this summer's World Cup following his appointment as head coach in September 2024.

The Argentine has had three different spells in the Premier League, most recently leaving Chelsea by mutual consent after one season in May 2024.

He spent five years at Tottenham and led the club to the Champions League final before being sacked in 2019, having been appointed from Southampton.

"I love the country, its culture, the football culture," Pochettino said in an interview with French publication L'Equipe, external.

"For anyone with a competitive spirit who wants to measure themselves against others and test their abilities, it's the ideal place.

"You have to constantly give your best."

Pochettino ruled himself out of the running to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham last summer, saying a return to his former club at that point was "not realistic".

He confirmed to L'Equipe that Spurs previously contacted him over a return after his first six months in Paris in 2021, along with "other very big clubs".

The United States are hosting the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.

He told BBC Sport last year that he was "so happy in America but also thinking one day to come back to the Premier League".

Former club Spurs are among the sides currently searching for their next permanent manager, as they face a fight to avoid relegation over the remaining seven games of the campaign.

Former Tottenham midfielder David Howells believes "there is enough character and talent" in the squad to avoid the club's first relegation in 49 years.

With Spurs sitting one point above the bottom three, Howells thinks the players would benefit from hearing from someone such as club legend Steve Perryman, who was assistant boss on one of the occasions Spurs staved off relegation during the 1990s.

"I do remember Steve Perryman being brilliant around that time," Howells said. "He said despite all the success he had as a player and the trophies that he won, one of the things that stayed with him was the shame and embarrassment of getting relegated with Tottenham Hotspur.

"If I could get Steve Perryman in that current dressing room today, I would put him there now and have that chat with the guys.

"I'm not saying there are any players not trying, but I think sometimes you hear a different voice and especially a voice like Steve Perryman, a legend of the club saying stuff like that... when we listened to Stevie talking like that, it resonated with us."

Howells added: "It can only come from the players. We will scream our heads off in the stadium, but it has to come from them.

"To not have Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison in the changing room all season has been a massive reason for where we are, but I do think Tottenham have the characters to stay up.

"I don't know if those two will play again this season, hopefully they do, but looking around the rest of the group, I think there is enough character, talent and hopefully belief to do it."

"It's really difficult for the players to play in an environment that's so deflated and toxic." I can only imagine Danny Murphy meant the training ground, because Spurs fans gave everything on Sunday to create an atmosphere of support and positivity, both inside and outside the stadium.

We lined every inch of pavement, lit flares, sang songs and roared our support at the team bus as it arrived in N17.

We took this energy with us into the stadium, waved flags specially designed by a fan-led movement and cheered our team into battle. There could have been no doubt that we were fully behind the players.

Unfortunately, I think it might be time to accept that the players are also giving everything they can - and it simply is not enough.

To be clear, I am not saying I think these Spurs players are Championship level - although we could do with offloading a few in the next transfer window - because the majority in this squad are clearly better than their performances this season suggest.

However, even the most talented players can struggle in unstable conditions. The chopping and changing of managers, the lack of structure in training and on matchdays, the unfathomable injury crisis, the eroded trust in any of the decision-makers and the devastating absence of psychological safety have all contributed to the mess we are witnessing on the pitch.

Igor Tudor's team selection and decision to play key personnel out of position against Nottingham Forest was as baffling as it was infuriating.

While this capitulation is years in the making, not merely a product of the past few months, it is painfully clear that the current man in charge is as out of his depth as his predecessor was - if not more so.

I have never felt so grateful for an international break. I hope the club uses this time wisely.