The Northern Echo

Sean Dyche has this weekend quashed rumours he is in talks with Spurs but described the relegation-threatened team as a “brilliant club” amid speculation over Igor Tudor’s position.

A run of five defeats in seven matches under interim head coach Tudor has placed his job at threat, with their position in the Premier League a precarious one.

Tudor is currently dealing with the death of his father Mario but Dyche has been named by bookmakers as one of the leading contenders to take over if Tottenham were to make a change and the appearance of the ex-Burnley boss in a London pub on Friday sparked interest on social media.

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However, Dyche during an appearance on talkSPORT, laughed: “Ah, it’s brilliant, honestly.

“I was in the pub just up the way near my place, I’ve got down here and this guy goes, ‘ah, you’re meant to be in talks with Spurs tonight?’ And I say, ‘I’m sat next to you having a pint of Guinness, so it’s unlikely – unless you work for Spurs!’

“I’m there in The Seven Stars pub having a pint of Guinness, so I said, ‘it’s highly unlikely’, no, I’m not (in talks), I’m with you and I’m on talkSPORT, that’s what we’re doing.”

During a guest hosting appearance alongside Dyche’s friend Jonny Owen, the 54-year-old did discuss the pitfalls of being asked about potential jobs but was complimentary about Spurs.

“To give you an inside view, when you’re the manager, you know you’re going to get asked these at some point and whatever part of your career if you’re doing all right,” Dyche said.

“You get asked and you try to be respectful because let’s use Tottenham as an example. A brilliant club, massive club and all the rest of it and one of my first ever memories is Ricky Villa’s goal and so you say yeah, flattered.

“And (social media) say, ‘he hasn’t said no,’ and then you go, ‘no,’ and they say, ‘he wants it really’, so you say, ‘yes,’ and they say, ‘I knew he wanted it,’ so what can you say?”

Roberto De Zerbi is another manager who has been strongly linked with Spurs, but three fan groups have urged the club to rethink any potential appointment of the Italian due to his past backing of Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.

De Zerbi has been linked to Tottenham after he left his role with Marseille in February.

It's said De Zerbi is unlikely to accept a mid-season role and will instead wait until the summer to assess his options, but fan groups Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach all expressed their concerns about the former Brighton boss after he worked with Greenwood at Marseille.

Ex-Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a young women after images and videos were posted online.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to a “combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses” and due to “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.

In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy” that had paid a “heavy price” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”

Spurs’ LGBTQI+ fan group Proud Lilywhites said: “We’ve seen the reports linking Roberto De Zerbi with the Tottenham job and honestly, it doesn’t sit right.

“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.

“We all want Spurs to move forward, but how we do that matters. 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 proud of the progress that’s been made in making football more inclusive and welcoming.

“That progress matters, and it cannot be compromised or treated as secondary.

“We are not asking for perfection. We are asking for accountability, transparency and leadership that reflects the values this club claims to stand for. All together, always. That has to mean something. No to De Zerbi.”

Women of the Lane added: “We want to be clear about how this (speculation) is landing with many women and allies in our community.

“De Zerbi has publicly defended Mason Greenwood in a way that downplays the seriousness of male violence against women and girls. That raises serious questions about judgement and leadership.

“This is not an appointment Tottenham Hotspur should make.”

A Spurs Reach statement read: “Comments previously attributed to Roberto De Zerbi, including public remarks defending and contextualising Mason Greenwood following serious allegations have been widely criticised for appearing to minimise the gravity of violence against women.

“Regardless of intent, framing of this nature risks normalising harmful attitudes, diminishing the experiences of survivors and sending a deeply concerning message about what is tolerated within the game.

“We all want the club to progress but it must do so in a way that reflects its values. No to De Zerbi.”

Joao Pedro struck in the 34th minute to help Chelsea inflict more pain on toothless Spurs with a fifth consecutive victory over their London rivals and a 10th win in 12 meetings in all competitions.

Frank’s team were booed off after they produced only one shot on target all game, three in total and recorded their lowest ever xG (expected goals) figure of 0.05 since Opta records started in the 2012-13 campaign.

To compound another miserable match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with this a third home loss in seven matches under the former Brentford head coach, an eye-catching exchange occurred moments after full-time.

Spence and stand-in captain Van de Ven and headed towards the tunnel and despite Frank seemingly telling them to thank the home support, they walked past the Danish boss who stared in their direction before he turned to applaud the crowd.

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Spence headed immediately for the tunnel at full-time at Newcastle on Wednesday night after Spurs were knocked out of the Carabao Cup, only for coach to stop him and tell him to go and applaud the away fans.

After Saturday night's incident, Frank said: “I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence who are doing everything they can. They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem.

“All the players are of course frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that.

“I think it is about, which is difficult, to be consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that.”

Spence has established himself in Tottenham's side this year, and Boro stand to benefit financially from the defender's breakthrough for club and country.

Spence left Boro for Tottenham in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth £20m, which included a number of add-ons.

And, as revealed by the Northern Echo last week, it's understood one of those payments will be triggered when Spence makes two competitive England starts.

The first came in this month's World Cup qualifying win over Latvia, and considering Spence looks to have impressed Thomas Tuchel, another imminent competitive start for England looks inevitable for the defender.

Spence received his first England call-up in September and made his debut from the bench in the World Cup qualifying win in Serbia.

He then got a second call-up last month and started both games in the most recent get-together. Spence was in the starting XI for the friendly win over Wales at Wembley and then kept his place and made his first competitive start as England thumped Latvia 5-0.

Boro will now no doubt have an eye on the situation when England are next in action this month with World Cup qualifying ties against Serbia and Albania. A start for Spence in either of those games would result in a financial boost for Boro.

And Boro look well placed to further benefit after Spence's big breakthrough for club and country over the course of the last year or so.

With Spence now playing regularly and Spurs having enjoyed an impressive start to the Premier League season, more add-ons look set to be triggered in the near and distant future.

Newcastle play their opening game of the new year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday lunchtime knowing a win could take them into the top four ahead of the afternoon fixture list.

Three days later, the Magpies are back in north London for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal, and having not been fazed by the challenge of heading to Old Trafford, Howe wants his players to be equally bullish about the prospect of facing two of the toughest away trips on the calendar.

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“I always say we respect the opposition, but we don't fear anybody,” said the Newcastle boss. “But then actually stepping forward and delivering the performances under pressure in the environment isn't always easy.

“So, I do think it's a big step forward (winning at Old Trafford). But we need to do it again in two other grounds, very similar, at Tottenham and Arsenal in our next two games.”

Monday’s game marked the halfway point of the Premier League programme, and after failing to really click in the opening couple of months of the campaign, Newcastle have hit top gear in the last few weeks.

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Five successive victories in all competitions has transformed the mood at St James’ Park, with the Magpies’ key players all raising their performance levels markedly in recent matches.

“I’ve really enjoyed this season, although it's been a difficult challenge at times,” said Howe. “We look good at the moment, but we have to continue our focus and not get carried away.

“I think you learn all the time. I always say that I’m forever learning week in, week out. The Premier League demands that of you. You can never stand still. The game changes from week to week.

“Things you think you've got mastery of one minute, you don't have the next and that's down to the league and the analysis involved. So, for me, it's always about hard work and processes.”