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Where do Tottenham Hotspur go from here?

A calamitous 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday marked a new low point in Spurs' shambolic season.

On Wednesday, Tottenham said interim manager Igor Tudor would speak with the media on Friday at a news conference before the club's Premier League match at Liverpool.

Tudor, hired in part for having a positive short-term impact at the clubs he has managed, has overseen four consecutive defeats in a dismal 25-day reign since succeeding Thomas Frank on 14 February.

While hopes of Champions League progress appear in tatters following their latest chastening defeat, it is Tottenham's Premier League situation which remains most pressing.

It is the need to avoid an unthinkable first relegation from the top flight since 1977 which will inform the club's next steps.

Just 10 months after winning the Europa League, Spurs sit one point above the relegation places with nine games remaining.

"In footballing terms, this is an absolute crisis that Tottenham are in," commentator John Murray said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

With Tudor struggling to improve the club's fortunes, and little evidence of progress, is there anyone else Spurs could realistically call upon to rescue their season?

Among the factors which led to Tudor's appointment, Tottenham admired his work improving teams on a short-term basis - including at Italian giants Juventus.

Tudor was given the Juventus job on a permanent basis after achieving Champions League football with a run of just one defeat in nine at the end of the 2024-25 season.

But he has so far failed to have any such impact in north London.

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live that Tudor "was not the right appointment from the start".

"We talk about a new manager bounce, when a new manager comes in and the players react and they get one or two results. That's what Tottenham were looking for," Robinson said.

"For Tottenham, it's the wrong person at the wrong time. You saw the performance of the players. The minimum requirement is maximum effort.

"The attitude and application was not there. They were not playing for the manager."

Tottenham must now dust themselves down for a meeting with Premier League holders Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, a stadium where they have conceded 17 goals in their past four visits in all competitions.

A crucial home game against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest follows next week's return leg against Atletico Madrid.

But the mood within the squad has also been clear off the pitch, with Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma admitting the players view their situation as "a big emergency".

Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood has accused Tudor of "adding fuel to the fire" in that regard.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Sherwood said: "He hasn't given the players a lift at all.

"He's a firefighter who has a can of petrol in his hand - he's adding fuel to the fire rather than restoring confidence to the players."

A man manager with the ability to restore confidence in a squad which ended the club's 17-year trophy wait last season, but also finished 17th in the league, would seem of paramount importance - should Tottenham decide to make a change.

Not least given the nature of Tuesday's loss in Madrid, during which 22-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was taken off after a brutal opening 17 minutes and was consoled by team-mates but ignored by his manager as he left the pitch.

However, former Tottenham winger Chris Waddle said it is also on the players "to stand up and be counted".

"The players are drained of confidence," said Waddle.

"We can talk all day about management and the players but the biggest thing in football is; if you've got no confidence, don't play.

"So many Spurs players hide because they've got no confidence. They don't want to cross that white line and you can see that."

Where might Tottenham look if they did decide to place man-management at the top of their search priorities?

Former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason previously stepped up as the club's interim head coach in both 2021 and 2023, overseeing 13 games in the Premier League, before being appointed as assistant coach to Ange Postecoglou.

Mason ended his seven-year coaching career at Spurs last summer to take over at West Brom, but he was sacked by the Championship club in January.

Meanwhile, former Tottenham boss Sherwood, speaking on Sky Sports,, external said he could do a short-term stint as the club's head coach to help guide them out of trouble.

Another former Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was said to be a candidate to permanently replace Frank, but his contract with the United States men's national team does not expire until after this summer's World Cup.

One former Spurs manager who appears to have ruled himself out of contention is 79-year-old Harry Redknapp.

"I won't [take the job] - I don't expect to get a call," Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 Live. "My focus this week is enjoying myself at Cheltenham."

Former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane was reported to be interested, external in the job before the club appointed Tudor in February.

Spurs may choose to look further afield - but their current options, within the search parameters as they were a month ago, appear limited.

In addition to a track record of having an immediate impact, Spurs sought someone with top level managerial experience who plays attacking football.

When Spurs initially began their search to replace Frank, himself dismissed after less then eight months in charge, former Marseille boss Roberto de Zerbi, former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and ex-Red Bull Leipzig boss Marco Rose were among the other potential short-term options.

Ex-Brighton boss De Zerbi left his role as manager of Marseille by mutual consent after just under two years in charge, three days before Spurs confirmed their appointment of Tudor.

Terzic has been out of work since asking Dortmund "to terminate his contract with immediate effect" in June 2024, after leading the club to the Champions League final.

Rose was sacked by RB Leipzig in March 2025, having won 72 of his 127 matches in charge and lifted the German Cup in 2023.

Within the Premier League, Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva are among the names who will be available this summer - but would any be prepared to leave their respective clubs earlier to help Spurs' cause?

FA Cup-winning manager Glasner has confirmed he will leave Crystal Palace this summer, but his immediate future was understood to be in doubt in February amid a poor run of results.

Bournemouth are reportedly set to, external open contract talks with Iraola in an effort to ward off interest from Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Manchester United.

Meanwhile, Fulham chief Tony Khan has said he is confident, external Silva will stay at the club "for a long time".

Is Tudor's Spurs reign almost up?

Phil McNulty

BBC Sport chief football writer

If Igor Tudor's jaw-dropping removal of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was a brutal example of a mistake being rectified swiftly, then is it time for Tottenham's hierarchy to consider doing the same?

The interim head coach delivered a time-honoured blunt "no comment" when asked whether he deserved to keep his job after the 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid, his fourth straight defeat.

This situation, like Spurs' season, seems out of his control even after only 26 days in charge.

His position is looking increasingly untenable, with every scrap of evidence produced since he succeeded Thomas Frank suggesting he is the wrong man in the wrong place.

Tudor's unique selling point in a chequered, nomadic coaching career was supposedly his ability to provide an instant spark of impact. At Spurs, this has been The Midas Touch in reverse - The Minus Touch.

Four defeats from four games is the worst start by anyone in charge at Spurs, with each one more damaging and demoralising than the last. He is not arresting the Spurs crisis, he is accelerating it.

Tudor has demonstrated he is not afraid to make the big calls. The snag is, he is getting them wrong when Spurs can ill-afford it. And, as yet, he has not fulfilled his part of the bargain.

His days may now be measured in very small numbers.

Tottenham 'admired' Tudor's short-term work

Sami Mokbel

BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Spurs wanted an interim head coach until the end of the season - and that immediately narrowed the field down.

After reviewing their options, it is understood Spurs felt Igor Tudor fit the bill for a few key reasons.

He has experience working at some top European clubs and managing big-name players.

His reputation is about aggressive football with an attacking intent, an element which was particularly important to Spurs after criticism of their style of play under Thomas Frank.

The club also admired his work in improving teams on a short-term basis.

For example, his Lazio team were unbeaten in the league for the first two months after he joined. And he only lost one of his first nine games at Juventus, also going unbeaten in his first eight matches in his first full season at the club.

Poll: Should Tottenham sack Igor Tudor?

It seems an unlikely question about a manager who has only had four matches in charge, but Tottenham's form and results under Igor Tudor really have been that bad.

Things started off with a heavy defeat at home to north London rivals Arsenal and unravelled from there, with further losses in the Premier League at Fulham and at home to Crystal Palace before Tuesday's shambolic display at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

There have been numerous calls - which we will get to shortly - for the Spurs hierarchy to cut their losses and end Tudor's interim tenure, which was due to last until the end of the season.

So we are asking you the question in our poll at the top of this page - should Tottenham sack Igor Tudor?

Galatasaray stun Liverpool in Istanbul

Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool

Liverpool

Arne Slot's 100th game in charge of Liverpool took an unexpected turn as Galatasaray established a narrow 1-0 lead in their last-16 tie.

Former Southampton, Fulham and Wolves midfielder Mario Lemia delivered the blow with a headed goal past Giorgi Mamardashvili just seven minutes into the first-leg fixture.

It was the 10th goal the Reds have conceded from corners this season.

Liverpool did think they had levelled things up in the 70th minute, though, after the ball was bundled over the line from Dominik Szoboszlai's corner.

But it wasn't to be as VAR, following a lengthy check, ruled the ball had hit Ibrahima Konate's arm in the build-up, once from the corner delivery and twice after the ball came off Virgil van Dijk's heel.

It leaves Slot's side with it all to do in the second leg at Anfield on 18 March.

'Staggered' by decision to substitute Kinsky

Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham

John Murray

BBC football correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

Honestly, I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite like the first 23 minutes of what happened in the Metropolitano last night.

The feeling was it might not go well for Tottenham, but they'd be in touch for the second leg at home in London. The first 20 minutes or so they were completely blown away. It was mistake after slip after error after mistake. And Atletico Madrid just scored goals after goal after goal after goal, so that was one thing.

But to substitute the goalkeeper, 22-year-old Antonin Kinsky, which had been Igor Tudor's big call to play in the Champions League for Tottenham for the first time. And yes, he made two of the slips which led to two of the three goals scored at that time, but to substitute him off, I honestly can't remember seeing anything like that before.

He came running off the field. I saw two or three of his team-mates came over to him as he came off the field, and Tudor, his manager who made the call to play him, stood on the edge of the coaching area, and there was no interaction between the two at all.

We were staggered.

Why was Vicario dropped?

Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham

Paul Robinson referred to concerns over the form of Tottenham's number one goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario as the trigger for Igor Tudor to start Antonin Kinsky ahead of him at Atletico Madrid - a decision that he accepted backfired.

Vicario had started the majority of Tottenham's domestic and European games so far this season, but was dropped by Tudor on Tuesday night following recent poor performances.

The Italian shot-stopper had started all three games under the club's new interim head coach.

However, Vicario conceded nine goals in those opening three fixtures, with defeats to Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace starting Tudor's reign.

It was for that reason the boss decided to switch things up in-between the sticks at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Speaking pre-match, Tudor was tight-lipped on his decision: “I chose today what I think is best for the team in this moment. This is the first XI for today. There is also the second game [in this tie], so there is space for everyone."

'Quite blatantly for self preservation'

Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham

Paul Robinson

Former Tottenham goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

He's [Igor Tudor] making decisions that he maybe thinks is going to one, keep him in a job, or two, keep Tottenham in the Premier League and performances are going to turn around.

It was a very selfish decision [to substitute Antonin Kinsky in the 17th minute] as a manager.

Actually, when you rewind the clock, I think he brought Kinsky in tonight because [Guglielmo] Vicario has been poor. Vicario has made errors that have led to goals and he has cost Tottenham points in the league, of late. I think he brought Kinsky in tonight thinking that if he does well I have got an excuse to keep him in now until the end of the season.

He reverted on that decision very, very early on in the game. I have never seen that in my playing career, in my broadcasting career, I have never seen a manager substitute a goalkeeper so obviously because of the mistakes that he made.

It's quite blatantly for self preservation by the manager because it was a decision that he thought was best for him and his team at the time, without consideration for the young goalkeeper.

"If you've got no confidence, don't play."

That is the message from former Tottenham winger Chris Waddle to members of the current squad who have "no confidence" amid their recent dismal run.

Tuesday's disastrous 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid was a fourth successive loss in Igor Tudor's four games in charge.

When asked on the Football Daily podcast whether Tudor was the man to turn things around for Spurs, Waddle said: "Not at the moment, no. If you look at it, no, but then who can?

"The players are drained of confidence. They need to stand up and be counted. You've got players like [Cristian] Romero who have won the World Cup and is captain of the club.

"You've got international footballers throughout the squad and they don't do anything - the changing room obviously must not be as close as people say it is.

"You roll your sleeves up. It might be ugly and you might win 1-0 in a horrible game and it was terrible but they are so easy to play against Tottenham at the minute.

"I watch them play. I had four years there, it's a great club, I really enjoyed it. I watch them now and they don't look like they want to wear the shirt.

"We can talk all day about management and the players but the biggest thing in football is; if you've got no confidence, don't play.

"Just put your hand up and say, 'I'm sorry, I can't play'.

"You want players who are going to roll their sleeves up, get on the ball - what were you bought for? What are you paid for? To create, do things and work.

"The simple thing about football is working hard, being organsied - that's not hard.

"But you look at so many Spurs players and they hide because they've got no confidence. They don't want to cross that white line and you can see that. Every time I watch Tottenham play they are so easy to play against.

"They should go out and have a good drink and a good chat and tell the truth to each other."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

This is the question Tottenham's board members will be asking themselves after Igor Tudor's latest aberration: are the players responding to the manager's methods?

The answer appears clear. Four games have brought four losses, with 14 goals conceded.

Results aside, sources have indicated to BBC Sport in recent days that members of the Tottenham squad are still to be convinced that Tudor has the tools to guide this struggling team away from the sorry predicament they find themselves.

So, with that in mind, the club's hierarchy clearly has a big decision to make.

Before this latest loss, internal concerns over Tudor's position had already started to generate. This result will only serve to sharpen the focus on Tudor's job security in the coming days.

Before the clash, there was a sense that a positive performance in Madrid could be used as a building block for Tudor before a crucial game at Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.

You wonder if the manner of this loss – and the sub-plots that unraveled on a tortuous night for Spurs – has altered the direction of travel.

Tudor was appointed because of his track record in sparking immediate improvements at other clubs, namely at Juventus and Lazio.

His arrival has heralded the opposite effect. That, coupled with what some have described as a "disconnect" between players and the manager, leaves Tudor under increased scrutiny.

A decision to sack Tudor so soon after his appointment would provide a clear admission of error from the Tottenham hierarchy. The club's ownership, you would imagine, will be demanding answers.

But k.eeping Tudor may prove an even bigger mistake with Tottenham's top-flight status on the line.

'Tottenham Hotspur could renew approach for Liverpool's Andy Robertson' - gossip  BBC

Tottenham Hotspur are still keen to sign Scotland left-back Andy Robertson despite their failed attempt in January, with Liverpool having decided to let the veteran control his own destiny when the 31-year-old's contract expires this summer. (Football Insider), external

With Boca Juniors planning to sell Marcelo Saracchi this summer, a permanent move to Celtic could depend on the on-loan 27-year-old being content to play back-up at left-back to Kieran Tierney. (Football Insider), external

Viljami Sinisalo's form could mean Celtic target a back-up goalkeeper for the 24-year-old Finland goalkeeper rather than a replacement for first choice Kasper Schmeichel, who is highly likely to leave this summer. (Football Insider), external

Hull City striker Oli McBurnie aims to land a Scotland recall for World Cup and the 29-year-old tells a nation he is a changed man. (Daily Record), external

Celtic right-back Julian Araujo could be set for an international recall with Mexico for the first time in nine months after head coach Javier Aguirre revealed he has been in talks with the on-loan Bournemouth 24-year-old. (Scottish Sun), external

New York Red Bulls expert Mark Fishkin has hailed Aberdeen managerial candidate Sandro Schwarz as a strong tactician who always strengthens a team with his substitutions. (Press & Journal), external

The Rangers Fan Advisory Board and the Rangers Supporters' Association have criticised Police Scotland for the way Celtic fans were able to "storm the turnstiles before the match" and "invade the pitch" and for the "chronic lack of segregation on Helen Street" before and after Sunday's troubled Old Firm derby. (The National), external

The Celtic Fans Collective has raised concerns about the way visiting fans were treated on the approach to Ibrox, bus parking and the turnstiles before Sunday's Old Firm derby and called for action from Police Scotland and Celtic Football Club while saying that head of safety, security and operations Mark Hargreaves' "absence on the day" makes his position untenable. (The Herald), external

Police Scotland Chief Inspector Emma Croft says Rangers and Celtic need to do more to engage with fans, especially ultra groups, and set some new ground rules and boundaries as to what they are accepting of their fans. (Glasgow Times), external

Falkirk striker Brian Graham admits taking his 10-year-old son to his first Old Firm game was one of the worst decisions of his life, describing the scenes at the end as "absolutely horrific". (Clyde 1 Superscoreboard), external

Clyde believe they may have taken a huge step towards a return to their spiritual home in Glasgow, with the Clyde FC Community Foundation revealing the Scottish League 2 club could be playing at the Stepford Football Centre in the near future with talks on-going with the current lease-holders about a switch. (Daily Record), external

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Who is to blame for Spurs' chaotic descent towards relegation?

Tottenham manager Igor Tudor insists his decision to substitute Antonin Kinsky was done to "protect" the team, after the goalkeeper was replaced by Guglielmo Vicario after just 17 minutes, with Tottenham already 3-0 down to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions League.

If Igor Tudor believed his brief losing reign could not get any worse after the home defeat by Crystal Palace, he reckoned without one of the most humiliating nights in Spurs' recent history.

The Croatian was bold with his team selection, especially dropping regular first choice Guglielmo Vicario for young deputy Antonin Kinsky.

To say it was a move that back-fired is a masterpiece of under-statement as Kinsky suffered the sort of personal nightmare that will take huge strength of character to recover from.

Even the hearts of Atletico's passionate, partisan support went out to Kinsky as his number came up following his errors, with team-mates also moving to offer words of comfort as he went off.

Tudor was in optimistic mood before the game, but that all changed inside 23 madcap minutes as Spurs slipped – literally – from one costly error to another, effectively ending this contest and, in all likelihood, the tie.

Spurs actually created chances of their own as Atletico stepped off the gas, but the damage was already done.

And it may be permanent damage for the beleaguered Tudor, who arrived as an emergency measure with a reputation for having an instant impact in his chequered coaching career.

Instead, things have arguably got worse and now, with a testing trip to Liverpool on Sunday and Spurs just one point off the Premier League relegation places, the club's hierarchy look like they will soon face another decision of huge significance in a bid to somehow rescue a season in freefall.

Tottenham replaced goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in just the 17th minute of their Champions League last-16 tie at Atletico Madrid after conceding three goals inside the opening quarter of an hour.

The Czech Republic stopper, 22, endured a nightmare start and interim boss Igor Tudor quickly replaced him with Guglielmo Vicario.

Italian Vicario has started the majority of Tottenham's games this season but was dropped for Tuesday's first-leg tie in Madrid after being criticised for poor performances.

However, Vicario also conceded five minutes after coming on as Atletico stormed into a 4-0 lead by the 22nd minute, before Pedro Porro reduced the deficit by half-time.

Tottenham signed Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a deal worth about £12.5m in January 2025.

His first error - a slip - led to Marcos Llorente making it 1-0 in the sixth minute, before Antoine Griezmann added a second eight minutes later.

Kinsky - who last started in October for the second of two Carabao Cup games this season - was also at fault for Atletico's third goal, gifting the ball straight to Julian Alvarez to finish easily in the 15th minute.

The keeper had his head in his hands after that horror show and was taken off less than two minutes later, going straight down the tunnel.

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty, who was at the match, said: "I've watched a lot of football but not sure I've ever witnessed anything quite like this.

"Not just those mistakes, but Igor Tudor's decision to take Antonin Kinsky off.

"What a horrible night for the young keeper. The Atleti fans actually gave him sympathetic applause but not sure how he can be consoled after that."

BBC Sport's Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway, also at the match, added: "Kevin Danso, Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro went straight over to Antonin Kinsky as he left the pitch to show their support.

"It was a disastrous 17 minutes for the 22-year-old Czech."