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Fabrizio Romano has provided a big update on Tottenham’s search for a new permanent head coach amid Roberto De Zerbi links.

Over the last 48 hours, it has been widely reported that Spurs could replace Igor Tudor with another interim appointment before the Lilywhites take to the field next against Sunderland on April 12.

The club are also working on a long-term option to take over in the summer, with some sources suggesting that Roberto De Zerbi is Tottenham’s top target.

Other reports have maintained that Mauricio Pochettino remains the name at the top of Spurs’ wishlist, but it appears that another Premier League manager may be on the Lilywhites radar.

Tottenham holding discussions over a move for Marco Silva

Fabrizio Romano has now taken to social media to confirm that Tottenham are continuing to assess the best candidate for the permanent role.

He claims that the situation will ‘evolve’ over the coming days and suggests that De Zerbi remains the club’s preferred candidate.

However, interestingly, Romano adds that Fulham boss Marco Silva is also a name which has been discussed internally at Tottenham.

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Silva was among the names that Spurs considered appointing last summer, before they eventually decided to bring Thomas Frank through the door.

Romano has now said on X: “Tottenham keep assessing internally best options for managerial situation to evolve in next days/summer. Roberto De Zerbi, favorite candidate from June and Italian manager open to discuss from summer. Marco Silva also being discussed internally.”

Another Premier League manager is also on Spurs’ radar

Silva is not the only Premier League boss liked by Tottenham, who are also eyeing a move for a highly-rated young manager, whose stock has grown rapidly in England over the last couple of years.

Andoni Iraola continues on Spurs’ wishlist as the Spaniard’s current deal with Bournemouth runs out this summer.

However, the Cherries boss is not expected to make a final decision on his future before the end of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to lose another captain this summer, meaning there is another big decision to be made.

Heung-min Son’s departure last August saw Tottenham Hotspur lose their skipper, just two years after he took on the role.

Despite the fact Cristian Romero was linked with Atletico Madrid, he was handed the captaincy, but this decision could come back to bite the club.

Once again, Romero is expected to leave Spurs, meaning another player must be identified to wear the armband if the Argentine does depart North London.

Here are three candidates Tottenham ought to consider for the role, provided they do not follow Romero out the door of course.

James Maddison is the obvious pick for Tottenham

During Ange Postecoglou’s reign, James Maddison wore the armband at times for Tottenham when Romero was absent, so it makes sense to give him a promotion when he returns from his long-term injury.

Maddison is among his team’s most experienced players and he is unlikely to push for a move straight after his comeback, even if Spurs suffer a humiliating relegation.

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The fact the midfielder has been out for so long could actually work out rather nicely, as the Tottenham fans will not have any anger towards him for what has been a dreadful season.

Archie Gray has shown himself to be a leader

Call us crazy, but this 20-year-old has been levels above most of his teammates when it comes to leadership and workrate this season.

Archie Gray still has a lot to learn, but should at least be in the conversation for the captaincy role. If Spurs do drop down to the Championship, why not?

Perhaps a good first move would be to promote Gray to the five-man leadership group to see how he performs with his added responsibilities.

Conor Gallagher has worn a captain’s armband before

Although Conor Gallagher has made a miserable start to life at Tottenham, he is a player who possesses experience as a leader.

The 26-year-old first captained Chelsea in August 2023 and he will have learnt a lot since then, especially as he broadened his horizons with a move to Spain.

If Gallagher is allowed to play a more centralised, possession-based role with fewer attacking expectations next season, he might become decent for Tottenham, so he could be considered.

Mauricio Pochettino has made an interesting revelation amidst the speculation linking him with a fairytale return to Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham may be forced to appoint another interim head coach to succeed Igor Tudor after the Croat has failed to get anything out of the squad since replacing Thomas Frank at the helm.

However, reports continue to indicate that Pochettino is the front-runner to take over at Tottenham permanently in the summer, with his contract with USA running out at the end of the World Cup.

The former Spurs manager has kept his options open ahead of the summer, but he has now made an interesting revelation regarding past contact with the North London club.

Mauricio Pochettino admits he had the chance to return to Tottenham in 2021

This is not the first time the 54-year-old has been linked with a return to Spurs, with the Argentine’s name not far off the headlines whenever Tottenham have looked for a new manager in the last six years.

That includes back in April 2021, when it was suggested that Pochettino could return to London to take over from Jose Mourinho, only for Spurs to appoint Ryan Mason as the interim, and subsequently turn to Nuno Espirito Santo in the summer.

Pochettino has now admitted that Tottenham reached out to him at the time about returning to N17 while other clubs also showed interest.

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When asked if Spurs contacted him in 2021, Pochettino told L’Equipe: “Not just Tottenham. Other very big clubs too.”

When quizzed whether he wanted to leave PSG then, the former Spurs manager said: “When that six-month season ended, there was a bit of… Well, with this whole COVID situation, the club situation created instability. In every area.

“There was a period of change, uncomfortable situations, situations that… (He thinks about his words.) That didn’t give the impression that it was possible to work in a stable environment, like the one we have today. I enjoyed my experience at PSG. But I had other options, which I shared with the club, but they chose not to listen to any of them.”

Pochettino admits desire to return to England

Some sources have said that the Tottenham hierarchy have once again reached out to Pochettino over taking charge of the club in the summer.

Spurs are reportedly facing competition from Real Madrid for the Argentine, but the former Tottenham manager has now admitted that he misses coaching in England.

Pochettino added: “I miss the world of football in England. I love the country, its culture, the football culture. For anyone with a competitive spirit who wants to measure themselves against others and test their limits, it’s the ideal place. Here, you have to give your best constantly.”

Arsenal appear to have made a strategic decision ahead of the international break which Tottenham Hotspur ought to consider copying.

We have reached that time of the year again, which every manager in club football absolutely despises – the international break.

Tottenham Hotspur have 13 players representing their countries, and most will be partaking in friendlies in preparation for the World Cup.

These matches are significantly less important than the upcoming Premier League fixtures. Therefore, it seems like too much of a coincidence that six Arsenal players have withdrawn from their national teams, as reported by BBC Sport.

Of course, the Gunners have not simply made up injuries. Suggesting that would be a crazy conspiracy. However, we have seen plenty of clubs adopt an overprotective stance in the past, taking precautionary actions to keep as many of their players at home as possible.

Tottenham should attempt to hold players back too

Clearly, Arsenal recognise the importance of their remaining matches this season, as Mikel Arteta and his squad eye the Premier League title. Spurs also have an important task to fulfil, but at the opposite end of the league table.

It is essential that Tottenham avoid relegation, and to do this, they will need as many players available as possible.

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This is a club who have become notorious for having long injury lists, and the prospect of a two-week-long international break at this stage of the season is concerning.

As a result, Spurs should have also looked to hold some players back from their national teams, as representing them now is not worth the risks.

Tottenham essentially have seven cup finals remaining, and they cannot even win matches with the players currently available. Imagine how much worse things could get if some of those on international duty end up sidelined!

Spurs have to start winning in the Premier League

Sunday’s result saw Nottingham Forest leapfrog Tottenham in the Premier League, and West Ham have been fighting hard to stay up.

It seems inevitable that the Hammers will pick up at least a victory or two before the end of the season, meaning Spurs must also be winning matches.

To be without a win in domestic competitions since December is embarrassing, and every Tottenham player needs to recognise the importance of righting this wrong.

This should start with them asking whether playing a friendly for their national team is really worth it, when there is so much at stake for the Lilywhites.

Tottenham now find themselves holding talks with a manager who once saw red against Cristian Stellini’s Lilywhites.

Tottenham’s 25/26 struggles domestically showed no sign of easing off as they were beaten 3-0 at the hands of relegation rivals Nottingham Forest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs were hoping that their 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid on their home turf would have provided them with the spark they needed, but that was not the case as they fell to their 15th defeat of the season.

The Lilywhites now look like they could well be relegated, with just one point separating them from West Ham United in 18th place.

Remember when Roberto De Zerbi clashed with Tottenham’s Cristian Stellini?

Spurs are now scrambling for solutions as they aim to avoid the drop, with Igor Tudor’s time in the Tottenham dugout not looking likely to last much longer following his latest defeat.

It is understood that both Tudor and Spurs have agreed on a mutual parting of ways, with Tottenham now looking for a new managerial appointment, and their search has led them to former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.

The Italian is no stranger to facing Tottenham and, on one occasion in 2023, he was even involved in a heated touchline exchange with Cristian Stellini.

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Ahead of that clash, tensions boiled over during an altercation at the pre-match handshake, with De Zerbi pointing at Stellini before the situation escalated.

Speaking on De Zerbi’s character and approach, Stellini highlighted the Italian’s aggressive nature and strong personality. He said (DailyMail): “When he was a player, he was aggressive. I challenged him sometimes and he was really aggressive.

“He improved a lot. He has a great personality as a manager, and he arrived here in a new country and quickly he put his sign on his team. That is not easy for everyone and De Zerbi show also in England, in the Premier League, he is a great manager.

“For sure, his results were every time good results. He gave to his team good characteristics. He is very strong in the way he wants to play.”

Spurs hold talks with Roberto De Zerbi despite previous tensions

Ironically, Tottenham could now turn to De Zerbi to bail them out of trouble as they look to avoid the drop. Talks are understood to have taken place between De Zerbi and Spurs as they look to lure him to Hotspur Way.

Speaking about that altercation with Stellini back in 2023, De Zerbi insisted it was a personal matter, explaining his stance on respect and what led to the disagreement. At the time, it was thought that the Brighton boss was likely annoyed by Stellini’s pre-match comments saying ‘De Zerbi simply benefitted from Graham Potter’s great work at Brighton.’

De Zerbi said: “I am used always to respecting everyone inside of the pitch and outside of the pitch,” De Zerbi said, while declining to reveal the exact reason for his irritation with Stellini.

“I do not like it when people do not respect me, but there are normal situations in football. It is personal things, no? I always respect everyone, especially the coaches.

“And I can answer for myself, not for him. It was a personal situation and I told him what was my opinion, my idea.”

From his comments, Spurs can draw some solace as the Italian does not look like he has a problem with Tottenham, just Cristian Stellini.

It appears that the media in Sweden are as frustrated and confused by Dejan Kulusevski’s rehabilitation as Tottenham fans are.

The Tottenham Hotspur star has missed nearly 11 months of football due to a knee injury, and there is no sign of him at the training ground yet.

Last month, Sweden boss Graham Potter was hopeful Kulusevski would play a part in his team’s World Cup playoffs.

However, that has now been ruled, with Potter revealing last week that Kulusevski is not progressing as quickly as Sweden had hoped.

Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski will join up with Sweden’s squad

While the 25-year-old is not expected to play any part in the playoffs, Potter has confirmed that he will link up with his international teammates in Spain.

The former Brighton boss told Aftonbladet: “Dejan is in Spain, so I think he will come here and meet us. It will be nice to see him. At the stage he is in his rehab, it is okay for him.

“For others, it is more difficult because they are at a stage in their rehab where it means it is more difficult to be on the pitch. But Dejan will come by, and it will be fantastic.”

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Expressen relays Potter’s quotes, and the outlet simply concludes that the winger’s ‘injury and rehab are a mystery’, without providing any further explanation.

The attacking midfielder’s expected return date has continuously been pushed back, and with just seven games left, it appears unlikely we will see the former Juventus man feature again before next campaign.

A couple of days ago, Alasdair Gold explained that Tottenham are waiting for the pain in Kulusevski’s knee to subside before stepping up his rehabilitation.

That is why it remains unclear at the moment how much longer the 25-year-old is expected to be out for.

Another Tottenham Hotspur star has now fallen victim to an injury as the situation continues to get from bad to worse for the North London club.

Tottenham’s injury situation has been improving recently, with the likes of Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall returning to action.

Mohammed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur are expected to be back in April, and the return of the experienced duo will come as a boost to Spurs as they desperately try to preserve their Premier League status.

However, it has now been confirmed that another Tottenham star, who was forced off with a problem in the second half of the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, has now joined the treatment table.

Mathys Tel becomes latest Tottenham man to get injured

Mathys Tel picked up a knock and was seen holding his groin as he was coming off in the 67th minute on Sunday to be replaced by Randal Kolo Muani.

L’Equipe have now revealed that the Tottenham striker linked up with the France U21 squad this week but turned up to the camp with a thigh injury.

The report says that the Tel ‘did everything’ in his power to be with the French squad during the international break.

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However, it was decided after Tuesday morning’s session that the 20-year-old was not able to continue, with the forward withdrawing from the squad and being replaced by Lens’ youngster Rayan Fofana.

Spurs need Tel fit for the final run-in

Tottenham need all the help they can get in their quest to stay up, with just seven league games remaining.

Losing Tel would undoubtedly be a huge blow, but the fact that the former Bayern Munich linked up with the France U21 squad and even trained suggests that it is not a serious injury.

Spurs do not play again until April 12, and their supporters would be hoping the break is long enough for the forward to make a full recovery.

Tim Sherwood has once more put his name in the hat for Tottenham Hotspur following their most recent defeat to Nottingham Forest, backing himself to keep Spurs in the Premier League.

Losing 3-0 to Nottingham Forest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has significantly reduced Tottenham’s chances of avoiding the drop.

As it stands, Spurs are now only a single point and a single spot above the relegation zone, thanks to West Ham United failing to win their game against Aston Villa.

With the battle for survival very tight, the margin for error is slim, as a single slip-up could send Tottenham below the dotted line.

Tim Sherwood backs himself to keep Tottenham up

The latest prediction from a supercomputer has forecast that the Spurs will just about stay up, although their chances remain very slim.

Whether it will be Igor Tudor to keep Tottenham in the English top flight remains to be seen, but Tim Sherwood has backed himself to achieve just that.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Sherwood outlined his belief that Tottenham have enough quality to survive and detailed what he would change.

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He said, “I do not think it is too late. I will keep them in the Premier League. I believe that someone with common sense keeps them in the Premier League.

“They have the quality to be able to do it. You have to get them feeling good again. You have to get the confidence in the group.

“And you do not get confidence by playing Romero. If you are Xavi Simons and you are playing Romero as a right winger, and Xavi Simons has just had his best game in a Tottenham shirt against Atletico Madrid, Xavi must be saying, what have I done? You are playing someone out of position in my position when I have just played very well.

“Keep the threats in the team. They have to work hard, they still have to do that. You have to tell them there are duties, there is dirty work to be done. But Kolo Muani played well against Atletico, play him. Why is he sitting on the bench?

“Play the players who have the threat, but they have to know they have to work as a team. Dominic Solanke and Richarlison will run all day for you. They will chase lost causes. You play a little bit more direct, you come forward together and you go back together, but you need to organise.

“Difficult, you know, you have got Vicario in goal, who is not great. We know he is going to have a hernia operation. Kinsky is going to come in. I do not think he is going to let anyone down, but you need to have a nice, solid unit in front and they need to be organised.

“It is not complicated. You drill them every single day. 11 v 11, they know exactly where their positions are. And when Micky starts dribbling the ball and making runs round the field, you stop him. You say, if you are having to do that, and Romero is having to burst forward and try to affect things going forward, it is because we are not doing something right up there.

“Stay in your positions. Keep a clean sheet first and foremost. If you cannot win a game, you do not lose it. Keep them organised.”

Spurs players must cut individual errors as survival fight intensifies

Of course, in theory, Sherwood’s comments look like they could yield results, but performances of late show that the head coaches are not the only ones to carry the blame at Tottenham.

In the game against Nottingham Forest, for most of the first half, Igor Tudor’s game plan looked to have been working, given how well Spurs dominated the ball and created chances.

However, a sloppy goal was conceded from a set piece where the players failed to do the basics, leaving a man free in the box. Having conceded that goal, the Tottenham players seemed to lose their way, and that has been the case for most of the season.

These players simply need to step up, take responsibility and eliminate the needless mistakes that often throw game plans away. If they manage to do so, then the results will begin to go Spurs’ way.

The March international break could not have come at a better time for Tottenham, who could welcome back key players before their next Premier League game.

There is no denying that Tottenham Hotspur have had to deal with a truckload of injuries during the course of the 25/26 season.

In fact, at one point in this campaign, as many as 13 players were out and unavailable for selection due to injury, illness or suspension.

However, those numbers have reduced in recent weeks. Heading into the clash against Nottingham Forest, Spurs had just seven players out through injury, and now Tottenham could be set to welcome more players back before taking to the pitch again in the league.

Five injured Tottenham players could return over next three weeks

According to Premier League Injuries, Tottenham could be bolstered further during the international break with the return of five players.

Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies and Yves Bissouma, who have spent extended spells on the sidelines, could make a long-awaited return to training in the coming weeks before Spurs take to the pitch on April 12 in their league game against Sunderland.

Tudor revealed that Kudus was expected to return in ten days before the clash against Forest, while Ben Davies has a return pencilled in for 11/4/26.

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Yves Bissouma’s return does not have a fixed date, given the limited information about his injury, but the hope is that it will not be too long.

Mathys Tel also picked up a knock in the game against Forest and was forced off. He will be assessed and, if the injury is not too serious, he could be available for selection.

Rodrigo Bentancur is the final player Spurs could welcome back before the Sunderland clash, as he is expected to recover from his thigh problem sometime next month.

Spurs face international break concern despite injury boost

While this is positive news for Tottenham, it is far from certain that no other injuries will be picked up during the international break.

As it stands, 28 players have jetted off to represent their various nations, where they will be involved in both friendly and World Cup qualifying games.

While several Tottenham Hotspur players have headed off on international duty, a sizeable group have remained behind at Hotspur Way with the focus shifting to fitness and recovery.

The last international break of the 25/26 season is now in full swing, and Tottenham Hotspur have 28 of their players representing countries worldwide.

Many are involved in friendly encounters, while the likes of Lucas Bergvall and Radu Dragusin are looking to help their nations book a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

With much still to play for in the Premier League, Tottenham will be hoping that every player returns unscathed from the international break to aid their relegation battle.

Interestingly, while several Spurs players are away representing their countries, more players are back at Hotspur Way than one might think.

A few players did not receive any call-ups and are currently set to continue work at the Tottenham training facilities to build their fitness before Premier League action resumes.

The likes of Destiny Udogie, Conor Gallagher, Joao Palhinha, Richarlison, Souza, Antonin Kinsky and Brandon Austin were not called up by their respective countries.

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Still, they will be eager to leave a good impression during the rest of the season to force their way into their national teams’ plans.

However, several other players not involved in the international break remain at Tottenham because of injuries.

That is eight players stepping up into the final stages of their rehabilitation before joining team training at Hotspur Way, including Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison, while Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert are all working on their recoveries.

Reports indicate that Spurs and Igor Tudor are set to mutually part ways, so these 15 players could have a head start on impressing the next Tottenham manager.

Spurs injury boost could shape Premier League run-in

The international break could be a blessing in disguise for Tottenham, who could have more of their injured players back when football returns.

Spurs will be afforded a three-week break since they are not involved in FA Cup action, with their next league game against Sunderland coming up on April 12, around three weeks since they faced Nottingham Forest.