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Tottenham Hotspur are looking to appoint a permanent manager for the 2026-27 season

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On Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the appointment of Igor Tudor as their new head coach until the end of season.

The Spurs hierarchy made the decision earlier this week to sack Thomas Frank after a miserable time at the helm in North London. His last game in charge was a 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United with home supporters making their feelings known with chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ while the full-time whistle was greeted by loud boos.

Tottenham have now turned to Tudor on an interim basis. He has management experience with Galatasaray, Udinese, Hajduk Split, Hellas Verona, Marseille and Juventus.

The decision allows them more time to seek a permanent manager for the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign. One name who has been linked is former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

The ex-Chelsea boss and former Manchester City assistant was sacked by the Blues back in early January after a breakdown in relations with the club hierarchy. Despite links to North London, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has insisted that no talks have taken place and that he is the prime candidate to take over at Man City - if Pep Guardiola moves on.

He said on X: “No talks between Tottenham and Enzo Maresca so far despite recent links. Understand Maresca remains the clear leading candidate to be next Manchester City head coach… …when/if Pep Guardiola decides to leave.”

Former Spurs striker Gary Lineker believes Maresca is somebody Spurs should be looking at.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, he said: “Interestingly, for me, someone like (Enzo) Maresca. I mean, if I were Tottenham, I’d very much look at him, even though he is former Chelsea and they don’t like that kind of stuff, the Tottenham fans, possibly.

“If it were me, I would try and get Maresca. I knew him at Leicester; he was a really good coach. (He) did really well, I thought, at Chelsea, for a long time. The first little tricky spell he had, he was fired.”

Crystal Palace could view an out of favour Liverpool midfielder as the ideal replacement for the in-demand Adam Wharton.

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Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace could face a tricky battle to sign Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones this summer, should the clubs still hold an interest in the player after January transfer links.

The 24-year-old’s contract at Anfield expires in 2027, which had led to reports that Liverpool could be forced to sell Jones. The Merseyside outfit have just two transfer windows to cash in on the player before he could walk away as a free agent at the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

Jones is a product of the Liverpool youth academy and has only ever represented the club, making 211 appearances for the club. The midfielder has been in and out of the starting XI under Arne Slot this season but hasn’t started any of the side’s last five league matches.

Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace credited with interest in Liverpool midfielder

Inter Milan were also linked with transfer interest in Jones last month and were reported to have seen a loan-to-buy bid worth £35 million rejected by Liverpool. Tottenham Hotspur were known to have also held internal conversations about the player before splurging on former Atletico Madrid man Conor Gallagher.

TEAMtalk also claimed that Crystal Palace had made an enquiry about Jones, viewing him as a potential replacement for Adam Wharton. The Eagles midfield linchpin is set to find himself at the centre of a transfer saga again come the summer, which could reignite interest in the Liverpool man.

Arne Slot addresses Curtis Jones future

However, despite his lack of minutes and contract situation, Slot appears determined to keep the player at Anfield in a potential transfer blow to Premier League rivals. Speaking this week, the Reds boss said: “He is a Liverpool player and I think I have said this a few times, he is good enough to play for us, to start for us.

“He is a very good player, but the only line where we don’t have issues is the midfield and he has been playing the last 18 months more than he ever has in his time at Liverpool. So that tells you a lot about the development he has made.

“But he is also in competition with a lot of players that I also like and they have done very well for this club as well. So, yeah, he will be part of our plans for the upcoming weeks, months and also for next season.”

In other news, Arsenal and Tottenham battling Man Utd for Champions League midfielder with 7 goals this season.

Tottenham are being linked with a move for a defender Igor Tudor knows well.

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Tottenham are now said to be interested in a centre-back that Igor Tudor has worked with previously. Spurs now have an interim boss in place until at least the summer, with former Juve boss Tudor arriving on a short-term deal to fill the gap left by the sacking of Thomas Frank.

Tudor has struggled with longevity throughout his career, so the deal being short term certainly makes sense. Spurs are likely to look for another boss ahead of the summer, but Tudor could convince them he is worth keeping between now and then.

Regardless, Tottenham will be looking at potential new signings ahead of the summer as they look to avoid having another domectic campaign to forget. Spurs have had back-to-back disastrous Premier League campaigns, and they cannot afford a third.

A number of areas will need strengthening this summer, and one of them is centre-back. Spurs already lack depth there, and not only is Ben Davies out of contract and likely to leave, but there are big question marks over Cristian Romero’s future, with the defender clearly not happy with how the club is being run.

It would be wise for Tottenham to sound out defensive targets now, and a report from TuttoJuve’s Mirko Di Natale suggests they may already be doing that. It’s claimed Tottenham may be interested in signing Juventus defender Lloyd Kelly, with interest from England the only thing likely to change the Italian club’s stance of not wanting to sell.

It’s claims Juventus would want between 40million and 50million euros to sell, which is £34.7million to £43.4million. The 27-year-old has made 21 Serie A appearances for Juventus this season, joining from Newcastle United on a deal worth around £15million last summer.

Tudor’s Kelly defence

Interestingly, new Spurs interim boss Tudor has previously worked with Kelly at Juventus, and he actually defended the centre-back against criticism from some fans. He said earlier this season while in charge of Juve: “ There’s been a lot of unfair judgment from the outside, a lack of objectivity. Since I arrived, he has always done well.

“People only said he was playing well after he scored two goals. But he was already putting in great defensive performances despite the small mistakes that everyone makes. Labels aren’t needed. He’s a humble guy, eager to improve. I’m pleased with him; he has to keep going like this.”

Arsenal and Tottenham are being linked with an impressive young Champions League midfielder.

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Arsenal and Tottenham are said to be involved in a transfer scrap for a midfielder who is attracting attention aplenty. The two sides are in very different positions currently, with the Gunners still on course to win the Premier League title, although their lead has been reduced to four points over recent weeks.

Tottenham, meanwhile, are now in potential relegation trouble, just five points above the drop zone and having sacked Thomas Frank and replaced him with interim boss Igor Tudor.

Spurs remain alive in the Champions League for now, but realistically speaking, the best Tottenham can hope for is survival and a fresh start next season when they won’t have European football to worry about. And while that sounds like a downside, the two seasons of awful injury luck suggests this squad could do with reduced game time.

A new manager search is likely ongoing ahead of the summer, but in the meantime, the recruitment bosses will still be doing their homework ahead of the summer. It will be the same at Arsenal, who had an even quieter winter window.

One player being linked with both clubs is Club Brugge sensation Aleksandar Stanković. The 20-year-old has seven goals and four asissts from midfield this season, and he has one goal in four senior appearances for Serbia so far.

Stankovic is said to have attracted attention due to his impressive Champions League appearances, in particular, and TEAMtalk report that Arsenal and Tottenham are battling Manchester United for the talented young midfielder. Chelsea are also named in the report.

Tottenham could do with a holding midfielder, above all, with Yves Bissouma expected to leave the club at the end of his contract this summer. Spurs have James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Xavi Simons, Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur who can all play in the central or attacking midfield roles.

Arsenal naturally have top competition in their midfield, and so it’s difficult to see where Stankovic would fit in, but there could yet be an exit this summer, or the Gunners could look to add Stankovic and loan him out if they believe he is going to be a top talent in the future.

Tottenham are searching for a new boss to replace Thomas Frank as the North London derby closes in.

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Fabrizio Romano has dropped his latest update on Tottenham’s managerial search as the North London club look for someone to replace Thomas Frank. Frank failed to make it through a full season after seeing his side fall into the relegation battle.

Frank had issues above him, with recruitment at Tottenham having been poor for some time, but he too had his shortcomings, with the Dane having struggled to assert himself as a true leader.

Tottenham must now find a new manager, and they would naturally prefer to do so before the North London derby with Arsenal, which is a week on Saturday. Although, if they can’t find a full-time appointment, they could yet appoint an interim boss until the summer, as Manchester United have already had success with - at least so far. Assistant boss John Heitinga has been linked with that role.

Mauricio Pochettino has been linked, as always, but he is locked into a pretty iron-clad contract with USMNT until after the World Cup, and many have tipped Roberto De Zerbi for the job, with the former Brighton boss having left his position with Marseille at the perfect time - as far as a possible Tottenham move is concerned.

Providing an update on the search, Romano said on his YouTube channel: “The Tottenham job is now available following the dismissal of Thomas Frank, and there are two key names to clarify. Roberto De Zerbi is highly appreciated internally and would be open to returning to Premier League football.

“However, De Zerbi is not a coach who rushes into decisions. He wants clarity on the project, long-term vision and structure before accepting any role. Tottenham’s interest is confirmed, but De Zerbi is assessing the wider market as more positions could open up across Europe between now and the summer.

“Regarding Mauricio Pochettino, the current position is complicated because the US Federation do not want to lose him only months before the World Cup. A summer appointment could only become realistic depending on Tottenham’s strategy, especially if they choose an interim solution until after the tournament.”

What will be interesting is to see is whether Spurs are rushed by the approaching North London derby clash, or whether they will be willing to take their time and put a caretaker boss in charge. A caretaker boss has not yet been announced, but Heitinga is leading training.

Tottenham have seen the injury concerns mount up in recent weeks and months

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Managerless Tottenham Hotspur are sliding towards the bottom three of the Premier League table and have seen their injury problems continue to mount up over recent weeks.

Thomas Frank was sacked on Wednesday morning after seeing his Spurs side lose at home for the eighth time this season, as Newcastle United left north London with all three points. This proved the final straw for Frank and several managerial candidates have already emerged to succeed the Dane, such as Roberto De Zerbi and even former boss Harry Redknapp.

Injury issues have plagued Spurs across this season and the Lilywhites saw another concerning blow as Wilson Odobert was substituted in the first half with a fresh injury concern against the Magpies.

Tottenham latest injury news and return dates

Reports from France suggest that Odobert may have picked up an ACL injury and while a potential return date remains unconfirmed, if it is an ACL that will rule him out for the rest of the season and potentially into next term.

The France Under-21 international would join James Maddison on the treatment table with his own ACL injury, while Dejan Kulusevski also has a long-term knee problem which has seen him not feature since May.

Another player who picked up a fresh injury concern in the final days of Frank’s reign was Destiny Udogie, who was replaced in the 2-0 defeat at Manchester United with a hamstring injury. Frank confirmed he will be out for the next ‘four to five weeks’ and will therefore target a return in March.

Spurs will hope to have Pedro Porro back in time for the North London Derby on February 22. The Spaniard picked up his own hamstring injury in the draw with Burnley last month but will hope to return to action in time for his side’s huge next match.

Spurs’ injury list lengthens with 11 players out of action

Tottenham continue to have a long list of injury concerns which plague the north London outfit at present.

Lucas Bergvall is expected to be out until April after suffering an ankle sprain during the victory over Borussia Dortmund last month, while Rodrigo Bentancur may see the same time frame for his return after undergoing hamstring surgery.

Kevin Danso suffered a foot injury in Spurs’ last Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt and a return date for the Austrian is currently not known, while Richarlison is expected to return in March from a hamstring issue.

Mohammed Kudus picked up a serious thigh injury in Tottenham’s draw with Sunderland on January 4 and might be back in time for the reverse fixture on April 11 after the international break. While veteran defender Ben Davies suffered a broken ankle 20 minutes into Spurs’ defeat to West Ham and having undergone surgery, a concrete return timeline is not yet clear.

Tottenham Hotspur are on the search for a new head coach after the sacking of Thomas Frank

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Tottenham Hotspur sacked Thomas Frank as head coach on Wednesday morning, with the club sat in 16th place in the Premier League and edging towards an unwanted relegation battle.

Spurs have won just twice at home in the league all season and saw a distinctly better record in the Champions League under Frank, where they qualified for the top eight of the league phase to pass automatically through to the last 16. The final straw for the Dane was a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United on Tuesday night, where boos rung around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time.

Early managerial candidates have begun to emerge for the vacant Spurs role, with one manager recently becoming available on the continent – though he is believed to be keen on a move to one of Spurs’ Premier League rivals.

De Zerbi to Tottenham as ‘timing could align’ despite Man Utd links

According to reports by TEAMtalk, Roberto De Zerbi ‘has admirers’ at Tottenham and the ‘timing could align’ for the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss to take over at Spurs after he was recently dismissed at Marseille.

While his preference was believed to have been to wait for the Manchester United job, that position will not be available until the end of the season and even then, a lot could depend on how Michael Carrick does over the remainder of the season. Reporting continues that De Zerbi could be ‘open’ to managing Spurs.

Amidst the belief that De Zerbi could ‘burst into contention’ to become the next Spurs boss, that could indicate that the north London outfit might not wait until the end of the season to re-appoint former boss Mauricio Pochettino, currently in charge of the USA national team ahead of their home World Cup. Short-term options such as Robbie Keane and Harry Redknapp have also been touted to steady the ship and avoid the drop.

Should De Zerbi be given the reigns at Tottenham, TEAMtalk call out for three early signings he should make as Spurs boss – in the shape of Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma, Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones and Juventus marksman Dusan Vlahovic.

Thomas Frank could get a quick opportunity to get revenge over Tottenham.

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Thomas Frank could be given the opportunity to get the sweetest of revenge on Tottenham, and without waiting for the chance to do it. Spurs sacked Frank on Wednsday following Tuesday night’s home defeat to out of form Newcastle United.

Frank enjoyed a strong start with Tottenham, but it did not last, and aside from the Champions League campaign, it has been an abject season for the club.

Tottenham are now just five points above the relegation zone and very much involved in the relegation battle, with West Ham steadily picking up points. There were, and are, clear issues above Frank, but the Dane also came up short in many areas, and he departs looking to recover the fine reputation he built up at Brentford prior to taking the Spurs job.

And an opportunity to do that might come pretty quickly after another job opened up in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest continued to baffle supporters by deciding to sack their third manager of the season on Thursday morning, getting rid of Sean Dyche.

Forest failed to beat bottom club Wolves on Wednesday night, drawing 0-0, failing to take advantage of West Ham’s draw with Manchester United. Forest have a three-poiint lead over the Hammers but have seen aseven-point lead erode over recent weeks.

Still, most will have believed that Dyche gives Forest the best chance of staying up, although Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis rarely goes with the majority, known for his rash decisions. His latest sees Dyche axed, and the search now begins for a fourth boss of the season.

Among the favourites is now former Spurs boss Thomas Frank, and if he gets the job, the Dane will have the chance to relegate his former club, or perhaps West Ham. Then again, Frank will surely want to be careful about selecting his next challenge given he will want to rebuild his reputation.

It must be mentioned, that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Roberto De Zerbi, who just left Marseille, and Vitor Pereira are the top three favourites. Pereira kept Wolves up last season but then failed to win a single game until he was sacked on November 2 of this season.

To replace Dyche with Pereira would be a highly controversial decision, to say the least, but given how they have torn through managers both this season and in previous years, Marinakis is not going to be an attractive boss to work for.

Tottenham are being linked with a league-winning manager after sacking Thomas Frank.

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The Tottenham board may well have a dream appointment in mind following their sacking of Thomas Frank. Frank failed to last a full season in charge of the North London club, enjoying a fast start before seeing his side crumble over the space of months to end up five points above the drop zone at the point of his Wednesday exit.

Frank failed to deliver in many areas, and there are reports that he lacked leadership, but it would be ignorant to look past the issues above him, with clear failures in squad building both in the summer and winter transfer windows.

Spurs have issues above managerial level, but it is so often the manager who pays the ultimate price, and as mentioned, the Dane certainly had his own shortcomings, at least in this role.

The search now begins for a new boss, and it’s likely Spurs will sound out possible options, and if they can’t get their man until the summer, they could well turn to an interim appointment until the end of the season, with assistant John Heitinga being linked with such a post.

According to Fichajes, Tottenham have a dream appointment in mind, with former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez reportedly of interest. Xavi has been out of work since 2024, when he left Barca, waiting patiently for the right opportunity.

It has been claimed that Xavi wants to work in the Premier League, but whether he would want to take over mid-way through a season and in a troubling situation is entirely another matter.

Xavi wouldn’t cost anything in the way of fees, but he is likely to be an expensive appointment as far as wages go, given he is often in-demand having won the La Liga title at Barca. A deal will likely come down to what Xavi wants, and given how careful he has been in selecting a new club, you have to wonder what kind of case Spurs can make currently, given their plight and concerns over the way the club is being run.

Tottenham are set to miss out on a manager who has been ranked among the best.

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Tottenham are now searching for a new manager after deciding to sack Thomas Frank following a torrid run of form that has left them within five points of the relegation zone. Frank has been under pressure for some time, and Tuesday night’s defeat to Newcastle United proved to be the final straw.

Frank was sacked by the morning, as some chants at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night predicted, and the search began instantly.

Frank has been let down in many ways, with poor recruitment certainly not helping his cause, but it rarely felt like he had a firm grasp of the wheel in North London, and that frustrated fans.

With Spurs sliding quickly towards the drop, the club pulled the trigger, and it will be interesting to see whether there will be a full-time appointment now or an interim appointment until the summer.

John Heitinga seems to be a contender for an interim role having served as an assistant to Frank, while a number of other bosses have been linked with the full-time role.

One of them is AFC Bournemouth’s impressive boss Andoni Iraola, who is in line for a big job in the not too distant future. According to GiveMeSport, Bournemouth are braced for a Spurs approach, but they are not worried.

It’s claimed Iarola has no intention of leaving the Cherries at this point. In fact, it’s claimed that if Iraola is to leave, he would prefer to return to Spain and crucially wants to join a club on the up.

Iraola has done superbly at Bournemouth, continuign to keep the Southern club more than steady despite the loss of key players like Dean Huijsen. But who can blame Iraola for not wanting to risk his stock in the way Frank did.

Managers so often get caught by the lure of thinking they can turn around a difficult situation at a club, and it can lead to significant setbacks in their careers. Spurs have issues beyond the manager role, that much is clear, and unless those above the manager are willing to change the way they do things, it’s unlikely anyone will succeed in the role.

Like players, managers should choose their employers carefully, and especially when they have upward momentum as Iraola clearly has.

That’s something Jamie Redknapp made clear when he dubbed Iraola as one of the best during a Sky Sports appearance earlier this season. He said: “He gives young players opportunities, his system is great, it’s progressive, everything is on the front foot. So yeah, I would say he is one of the best managers in world football right now. We’ve just got to enjoy him while he is here. How long? Who knows.”