Football London

The north London club have confirmed that their popular captain is set to depart just over three-and-a-half years after joining

Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed that women's first team captain Bethany England will leave the club this summer at the end of her contract.

The 31-year-old made a huge impact when she joined Spurs midway through the 2022/23 campaign with 13 goals in 14 games in all competitions, helping the club stay up in the Women's Super League and was handed various player of the season awards by the supporters.

England was appointed captain ahead of the next campaign and led the side to their first-ever FA Cup final. The striker netted 38 goals across her time in north London, with 32 of those coming in the WSL to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer in the competition.

The former England international also became only the sixth player to reach the 200 appearance mark in the WSL and the first to score over 25 goals with two different teams. England is Spurs' top scorer this season under Martin Ho, with seven goals in 19 WSL games as Spurs lie fifth with two matches to go.

"From the very beginning you gave me something I didn’t even realise I was searching for: your warmth, your belief, your unwavering support," England said in an emotional video message to the fans. "You even made me feel seen again. In moments where I questioned myself, you never did. I came here hoping to rediscover something I had lost but I am leaving with so much more than I’d ever imagined."

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Tottenham Hotspur Women's managing director, Andy Rogers, said: "Bethany's leadership has shaped a defining era in the history of Tottenham Hotspur Women. Upon arrival she drove a rise in standards, professionalism and desire, and she has continued to uphold and push these values throughout her time here.

"As well as her incredible contributions on the pitch, Bethany has been instrumental in connecting with our fans to bring them closer to the team, and committing herself to our Foundation to ensure we are making a positive impact on the community around us.

"Bethany has etched her name in Spurs Women history, and can leave feeling proud of the lasting impact she has made on the club."

It is a time of big change at Tottenham under Ho with plenty of departures. England is the latest confirmed departure this week after the news that Amy James-Turner, Luana Buhler, Charlotte Grant and Josefine Rybrink, as well as the long-serving Kit Graham would all be leaving the north London club.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss spoke about something he read in a newspaper and made his podcast hosts laugh in unison

Mauricio Pochettino appeared to take a little shot at Chelsea when discussing how close Tottenham came to winning a Premier League title under him.

The 54-year-old led Spurs to a couple of title challenges during his five-and-a-half years in north London. The first saw Leicester claim the Premier League trophy in 2015/16 and then the following season Antonio Conte's Chelsea finished above Pochettino's side, who were deemed by many to be the league's most entertaining team that season with more goals scored but also the best defence. Tottenham lost fewer games than Chelsea that season but crucially drew eight games to the Blues' three.

Chelsea were fined £10.75million last month and handed a suspended transfer ban for secret payments made to agents worth £47.5m between 2011 and 2018, when Roman Abramovich was owner, and breaches of rules around registering youth players. The Premier League report named a number of transfers related to the secret payments, including deals for Eden Hazard, Willian, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic, all of who played during that season when the Blues finished above Tottenham.

Some pundits and journalists have offered up the opinion that Chelsea should have lost their silverware during the seasons in question and Pochettino appeared to be referencing that when speaking about Spurs on The Overlap's latest episode of Stick to Football. His apparent reference to Chelsea brought laughter from hosts Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jill Scott, and Ian Wright even though the Argentine, a former Blues boss himself, claimed it did not mean he believed that, only that it was what he had read.

"In the time we were there [at Spurs], for me it was the best club, we were enjoying it there and we felt that we could win. It really hurts me when people say other things about Tottenham. It's not like this. Tottenham have a history, an amazing history and it's not easy to win, to compete," said Pochettino.

"I think when we were competing there, maybe, maybe, I was reading in some paper that maybe we deserved some Premier League title because some club broke the rules (cue laughter from the hosts).

"But it's true! I don't say that! It was in a newspaper. But when we were competing there, we were competing with big people, big clubs that were not building a new stadium - well maybe Arsenal before - and you know how much you struggle when you build a new stadium.

"This period was really, really tough, which is why for me every season was more than winning a title because we were always fighting up there for the Premier League."

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Pochettino believes Tottenham's size as a club is shown in how many supporters he bumps into around the world, wherever he may be in any moment.

"I can talk from my experience in Tottenham and what I can tell you for me it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. People around the USA, South America, England, Spain, Europe, I don't know if it's coincidence but there are Tottenham fans [there] and Tottenham fans who can help me," he said.

"One day I was using a company and I arrived and they said I could not travel because my seat was gone and some guy came and said 'oh you are Pochettino, don't worry about what my boss say, you are going to be fine'. Or I am in London and stop a taxi and it's 'oh Mauricio, I am a Tottenham fan'. Tottenham fans are everywhere.

"For me it's a massive club with a massive following. It's crazy and now it's a club that I think has everything to be successful because the facilities are the best, the training ground, the stadium, more than 60,000 fans [every week], they have passion."

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper has turned his season around in the space of a couple of weeks to put his nightmare in Madrid firmly behind him

It has taken true mental strength for young Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to drag himself back from humiliation to all-round praise in the space of two months.

On the night of March 10 in Madrid, just three days before his 23rd birthday, Kinsky had a nightmare on the difficult Metropolitano pitch, conceding three Atletico goals within 16 minutes and gifting the home side the ball on two of those occasions. To compound matters, interim Spurs boss Igor Tudor hauled the young goalkeeper off a minute later as everybody watched on.

The Czech stopper's Tottenham career was widely deemed to be done, his confidence surely broken with a move out of the club expected this summer.

Then Spurs' first choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario needed to have hernia surgery and two months on from that evening in Spain all eyes turned back to Kinsky as he was needed. New head coach Roberto De Zerbi fully backed him and solid performances against Sunderland and Brighton culminated in a spectacular display at Wolves.

In the second half Kinsky rushed out to deny Adam Armstrong and bail out Kevin Danso after an under-hit back pass and the goalkeeper saved the best for last with a full length stop to push away Joao Gomes' free-kick deep into added time to ensure the three points headed back to the capital.

"He deserves this day, because he played very well," said De Zerbi after the match. "Especially today, he was crucial for the result. He deserves everything, because he's a good guy, he's a good keeper. Especially after Madrid, he deserves one day like today."

Now Kinsky has spoken for the first time since that night at Atletico and his remarkable late save at Molineux.

"Of course I am happy because this was an important moment for us, an important game and it was five games until the end [of the season]. We know that every game we need to get the points you know as much as possible, so of course we did it and got the three points. We want to continue this in the next games," he explained before coolly describing his last-gasp moment as simply part of the job.

"For the save, I am happy for that because it was a good moment at the end of the game. Yeah, I just stayed calm and did what I am supposed to do."

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The Czech explained what Tottenham did well at Wolves on Sunday to give themselves a fighting chance in the relegation battle.

"Even though OK, you are more on the ball, you know that any time there can be some break and some dangerous situation. I think it is more about keeping balanced, being focused on the offensive part of the game if you have the ball 70 per cent or something like this and then at the back being compact and ready for any counter," Kinsky told Canal+. "I think we did it well and especially in the first half. Second half could be better and I think these are the things we can take into the next game."

Spurs lie two points behind 17th-placed West Ham and travel back up to the Midlands to face Aston Villa on Sunday evening in the Premier League.

"The determination is huge. We feel that we want it, the fans want it, everyone is behind us and we will do everything we can," said Kinsky. "Of course we got ourselves into this situation which we don’t want to be, but I believe we are doing the right things to get out and I believe we have the qualities to get out.

"Determination is the right mindset I would say with the confidence. It has to be balanced no matter what the situation is, especially on the pitch during the game."

The Argentine has been speaking about his time at Tottenham Hotspur and how close they came to winning the Premier League title

Mauricio Pochettino has remembered two transfers that Tottenham missed out on that he believes would have pushed them to the next level.

The Argentine managed Spurs for five-and-a-half years with two title challenges, four top four finishes and one Champions League final appearance before being sacked in 2019 by then chairman Daniel Levy six months after that night in Madrid. Pochettino, currently the boss of the USA and preparing for a home World Cup, has been reminiscing about his time in north London and how close they came to silverware.

Spurs infamously went through two transfer windows without signing a single player during that Champions League final season in 2018/19 but Pochettino pointed to a missed double transfer more than two years earlier as being as important to the club missing the steps towards the next level.

"I can tell you that we tried, I think it was in 2016 when we finished the season, we tried to sign two players. After they moved to another club they won the Premier League and beat us in the Champions League final.

"We wanted to sign [Sadio] Mane and [Georginio] Wijnaldum and for different reasons we couldn't achieve that, but sometimes you need this luck and this timing. I remember that we were interested in them but they decided to move to Liverpool and after they both beat us in 2019 [in the Champions League final]," Pochettino said on The Overlap's latest episode of Stick to Football.

"I saw when Jurgen [Klopp] came to play his first game in England against us at the old White Hart Lane. Then when they beat us in the final [in Madrid] it was a completely new team, a new squad, when we had kept the same structure.

"It's a time to arrive in the moment. Coaches are very good coaches. All are well prepared, it's timing, it's about the project. The timing is so important, the circumstances.

"Yes [it was frustrating], but we are all trying to find [the right players]. Exactly [you can't get everyone you want]. That is not to blame the club it's only that we were there to try to improve the squad in this moment but for different reasons we couldn’t achieve that, to bring [them in].

"Maybe there are a thousand different players who could have improved us during this period and to make us better and achieve this and make this step that we missed, but I think it's not a problem, it's part of the business."

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Pochettino said that seeing Spurs in their current state, in big relegation danger and on to their fourth head coach in 10 months, makes him upset and he harked back to what might have been during his tenure in N17.

"It's really sad, I really love Tottenham, it's always going to be a part of my life, an important part of my life as a coach, a personal life too," said the 54-year-old. "It's really sad because I know how the people are suffering there, inside the club and also the fans. It's difficult to accept, but the moment when we left, what I told to the media and what I told internally was my feeling and my vision. You need to talk during the day that you are there.

"When you left or when you are sad or when you decide to move again, I think it's not time to talk. If you talk, things for me are not right.

"But I think when I was there, I tried to explain what was my vision. We were in a situation that was amazing because we finished the training ground, we finished the stadium, we moved to Wembley to play, to Milton Keynes to play many games. At the same time, we were very competitive.

“But this idea of how it can affect the environment and the people outside and the people that make the decision inside... It's one title, it's one to win a FA Cup, it's to win a Carabao Cup.

"It's a shame. We were winning every season because with all the circumstances that we were fighting, we spent 18 months with no one signing. That was a record in the Premier League."

He added: "Tottenham can say 'we had money to spend' but not the type of money to improve, to be close to win or to challenge. We challenged, we challenged to win. But we missed this last step.

"Sometimes it's money and sometimes it's decisions. It's not only about money. We were always talking. Sometimes players that are good don't belong in certain clubs and that is a moment when you can add and add but if you don't remove then it's impossible to improve that player or increase their level. That for me is the key to the whole project in the club.

"Making decisions to not only be right in the players that you add but also when is the moment when the players don't belong any more. It's not good or bad players, it's to remove. Because they were very useful for that period but then it is the next period. That is it, to not have the same line (balance) in these decisions."

Hugo Lloris could be set to come out of international retirement with France's third-choice goalkeeper picking up an injury just weeks before the World Cup in North America

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is considering coming out of international retirement to feature for France at this summer's World Cup, it has been claimed.

Lloris, 39, hasn't represented his country since the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. In the process, the experienced shot-stopped became his nation's most-capped player of all-time with 145.

But, less than a month after the Qatar tournament, Lloris announced his retirement from representing France on the international stage. In an emotional statement, the ex-Nice and Lyon man said it was time to "hand over the reins", expressing his desire to focus on club football and spend more time with his family.

However, three-and-a-half years later and Lloris could make a sensational return to international football. Le Parisien has reported that an injury to Paris Saint-German's Lucas Chevalier has opened the door for Lloris to scrap his retirement and return to Didier Deschamps' squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

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It's added that Lloris is 'open to the idea' of coming out of retirement and acting as France's third-choice goalkeeper, which is Chevalier's current role. He would be behind AC Milan's Mike Maignan and Lens' ex-Nottingham Forest shot-stopper Brice Samba in the France pecking order at the World Cup.

Chevalier, who joined PSG from Lille last summer, replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma as the club's No.1 'keeper but he lost his place in the XI earlier this year with Matvey Safonov now the undisputed starter.

The 24-year-old was still expected to be called up to Deschamps' squad for the World Cup, but his hopes of featuring in the United States, Mexico and Canada have been dashed after picking up an injury.

He sustained a right thigh problem in training on Wednesday and PSG expect him to be out for several weeks, potentially ruling him out for the rest of the season and the World Cup.

France manager Deschamps is expected to announce his squad for this summer's World Cup on Thursday, May 14 and Lloris could be a shock inclusion in the 26-man contingent.

Lloris spent 12 years at Tottenham before departing at the end of his contract in 2024 after being frozen out during Ange Postecoglou's first season in north London. In that time, Lloris became a club legend, making more than 400 appearances and cementing himself as one of their best-ever goalkeepers.

He decided to sign for Los Angeles FC (LAFC) in the MLS and has since been an ever-present there, playing more than 100 matches and helping them win the US Open Cup in his first season.

Tottenham Hotspur lost Xavi Simons to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee midway through their 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers

Xavi Simons believes he will be back stronger than ever after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during Tottenham Hotspur 's 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Simons, 23, came off midway through the second half of Saturday's match at Molineux and will not play again until next year due to the severity of this setback. He will have surgery in the coming weeks, once the knee joint swelling has reduced sufficiently.

Several months of rehabilitation will then follow, and barring any setbacks, Simons could return before the end of February. That would follow ten months of recovery.

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Simons has posted a video of himself receiving treatment on his official Snapchat account. He captioned the clip: "Rest, patience, guidance, peace! Everything happens for a reason! We will be back stronger than ever, don't doubt it!"

The player has also posted footage that appears to show him receiving vibration therapy on his right leg. Simons is also in the gym, working on his left leg, while elevating the other, and his upper body.

Simons has already shared plenty of insight on his social media accounts since the injury. He added a lengthy caption to an Instagram post on Sunday.

It reads: "They say life can be cruel, and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end, and I'm just trying to process it. Honestly, I'm heartbroken. None of it makes sense.

"All I've wanted to do is fight for my team, and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me… along with the World Cup. Representing my country this summer… just gone.

"It'll take time to find peace with this, but I'll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we'll win this fight."

Roberto De Zerbi spoke about how Spurs can replace Simons for the remainder of this season after their win over Wolves. He said: "We can play with Mathys Tel on the left, (Randal) Kolo Muani on the right, Souza on the right, (Lucas) Bergvall on the left; we have to create.

"I don't want to change too much (like) three defenders or four defenders, I don't want to put more confusion on the players, especially this season, because they changed a lot of tactical disposition."

"I want to be clear and simple. We need to stay strong in the head and positive in ourselves."

Tottenham Hotspur are staring down the brink of a historically bad season, yet marketing chiefs at the club decided it was a good time to launch a new campaign with Peppa Pig

Tottenham Hotspur have launched a marketing collaboration with children's cartoon character Peppa Pig - and the surprise announcement has gone down like Daddy Pig's broken down car when it was stuck on the hill.

With four matches left to spare, Tottenham are still stuck on 34 points, two behind seventeenth placed West Ham United. Roberto De Zerbi's side travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in a must win match for the north Londoners.

But a matter of days before that paramount clash, Spurs launched some new merchandise, inspired by a collaboration with Peppa Pig. Amongst the offerings were a pink Tottenham hat which was adorned by characters from the cartoon.

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Had Spurs been occupying a place at the other end of the table, the merchandise would perhaps be received in the manner it was intended. However, with Spurs fans as apoplectic and nervous as they have ever been, it has not been accepted too well.

One angry Tottenham fan commented: "Lads we are on the brink of relegation,” before another sarcastically said: "On the brink of relegation. At least we have Peppa Pig merch to show for it.

A rival supporter also said: "Don't worry about relegation Spurs fans. At least you'll be able to meet Peppa Pig at the stadium in May,” before a second rival also said: “The concept of 'Spurs x Peppa Pig' I can’t even read it without laughing.”

Ipswich Town have also done a similar collaboration with the iconic children's cartoon. Referencing that, while also referring to Ipswich Town's current position in the play-off places and Tottenham's current downward trajectory, another fan laughed Spurs will be the only side in the EFL to have a collaboration with Peppa Pig.

It's the kind of outside noise De Zerbi and his players really do not need. They were boosted by their gritty 1-0 away victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last week.

However, they also lost Xavi Simons for the rest of the campaign, after he went down with an injury. Nevertheless, De Zerbi believes the result could be the catalyst to a vital run of results they are crying out for.

The Italian said: "I want to be positive but we still played the first 45 minutes very well. I think in the first half we played well.

"We didn't create big chances to score but anyway we had control of the game. And then, [in the second half] maybe the pressure, we lost distances on the pitch and every one of us wanted to go one-to-one. I'm happy for the result. I hope this result can change something in our head and mentality."

After Villa this weekend, Spurs play host to Leeds United (May 11), Chelsea away (May 19) and Everton at home on the final day of the Premier League campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino has given his verdict on Tottenham Hotspur's current situation as they battle to avoid Premier League relegation

Mauricio Pochettino has explained why he feels “really sad” about the current situation at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are currently battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League and have four games left to secure their top-flight status.

Pochettino spent five years as Tottenham manager, guiding the club to the Champions League final in 2019 before his departure a few months later.

The 54-year-old has since had spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, and is now the head coach of the United States men’s national team heading into this summer’s World Cup across the pond.

Tottenham won their first Premier League fixture of 2026 last weekend with the narrow 1-0 victory at bottom side Wolves, and they return to top-flight action on Sunday when they take on high-flying Aston Villa.

Spurs are currently in 18th place in the table and two points from safety with just four matches left to play this term.

Pochettino has opened up about his time at Tottenham, as well as his exit, as the club currently battles to avoid dropping into the Championship.

“It's really sad, I really love Tottenham, it's going to be a part of my life, an important part of my life as a coach, a personal life too,” Pochettino said on The Overlap's latest episode of Stick to Football.

“It's really sad because I know how the people are suffering there, inside the club and also the fans.

“It's difficult to accept, but the moment when we left, what I told to the media and what I told internally was my feeling and my vision. You need to talk during the day that you are there.

“When you left or when you are sad or when you decide to move again, I think it's not time to talk. If you talk, things for me are not right.

“But I think when I was there, I tried to explain what was my vision. We were in a situation that was amazing because I think the training ground, we finished the training ground, we finished the stadium, we moved to Wembley to play, to Milton Keynes to play many games. At the same time, we were very competitive.

“But this idea of how it can affect the environment and the people outside and the people that make the decision inside... It's one title, it's one to win a FA Cup, it's to win a Carabao Cup.

“It's a shame. We were winning every season because with all the circumstances that we were fighting, we spent 18 months with no one signing. That was a record in the Premier League.

“We had money to spend but not the type of money to improve, to be close to win or to challenge. We challenged, we challenged to win. But we missed this last step.”

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Pochettino went on to explain what he looks for when presented with an offer to become a club’s manager, including how his time at Tottenham began.

He said: “It was difficult. Now it's difficult to talk about that because it was a really, really difficult situation. Because one of the things that I always like is if someone offers me a project, the possibility to coach, I want to know the reality.

“I want to know what they expect from me. I want to know what I need to do, which is the reality of the club. And I think what happened in Tottenham is that I understood what they expected from me, from the beginning.

“Of course it was tough, but I think I cannot complain. Only what I wanted to tell them is to say, ‘OK, that is the idea, that is the strategy, the philosophy of the culture that we were creating there’. But if we wanted to be competitive, we need some time to make different decisions.

“The problem is when the assessment is not coming from inside to the club, and the assessment comes from outside. And when people start to intoxicate things and say, no, you should win with this team.”

Roberto De Zerbi has been left scrambling for ways to replace Xavi Simons, who's set for a lengthy spell in the sidelines.

Four Tottenham Hotspur players could be given the chance to fill Xavi Simons' shoes. The 23-year-old midfielder ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his right knee during Saturday afternoon's clash against Wolves, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.

Roberto De Zerbi had been looking forward to getting to know Simons, claiming they had a 'special connection'. Speaking to SpursPlay earlier this month, the Italian said: "He’s lucky to work with me - not because I'm good, because I was number 10.

"What he thinks now, I thought 20 years ago. So, we have a special connection. I have a special connection with all number 10s I work with. I love a number 10.

"A number 10 has to understand that he has to score and he has to make assists, not just play to be nice to the people – goals and assists," added De Zerbi. "A player like this, he needs to feel confidence from the manager, and I stay here to transfer all the confidence he needs.

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"I was a player, I was number 10, and I think I know what he thinks, because I thought the same when I was a player. I think I'm lucky to have this player on my team, but also he's lucky because with number 10, I can understand better than other coaches."

Simons played only a handful of times under the new Spurs boss but seemed to have turned a corner. The Netherlands international quickly repaid De Zerbi's faith. He scored a goal and provided an assist on his first start.

Simons looked set to play a key role for Tottenham in the race for Premier League survival. Now he's set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. With the Dutchman out of action and top-flight status on the line, the Spurs boss is in a race against time to find a 'special connection' with another playmaker in the squad.

So, with that being said, football.london has looked at four players who De Zerbi could rely on to replace Simons in the middle of the park.

Conor Gallagher

Upon signing a five-year contract with Tottenham, De Zerbi claimed that he wanted to unlock the Conor Gallagher that he 'loved' to watch at Chelsea. The Italian said: "I want to see again the same Gallagher I loved in Chelsea at the time.

"Two parts. One part, the focus on the ball, on the pitch, to put them in the best position, the favourite position they feel, for sure, and the mental part. I think for Gallagher it's not so easy because he left Chelsea after I don't know how many seasons.

"He went to Atletico Madrid, and now in Tottenham, in this moment for Tottenham. He was a leader in Chelsea, and now he has to adapt to a new club, to new team-mates, to a new stadium, to a new everything. I have to help him to put as a target the Gallagher in Chelsea."

Although the 26-year-old has played slightly deeper in the past, and often in a pivot, he enjoyed spells as an attacking midfielder during his time at Chelsea and on loan at Crystal Palace. Gallagher may not have the flair or creativity to solely compensate for Simons' absence, but he'll certainly put in the hard yards.

James Maddison

James Maddison would be the natural replacement for Simons, but he's only recently returned to first-team action. The 29-year-old midfielder, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the summer, has been named in the matchday squad in each of Spurs' last two Premier League games, but he's yet to take to the field.

Lucas Bergvall

And last but by no means least, Lucas Bergvall. Although the 20-year-old midfielder has predominantly played in a pivot since joining Tottenham, he has previously enjoyed receiving the ball on the half-turn and roaming forward.

During Thomas Frank's spell in charge, which, albeit ended in tears, Bergvall relished a more advanced role. Speaking to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter in October 2025, the youngster discussed his spell in the position: "I’m comfortable with most of the roles in midfield. I’ve been playing more offensively lately, and that’s where I feel best right now."

Luca Williams-Barnett

Although De Zerbi will probably replace Simons with a senior player, regardless of whether it's like-for-like, Luca Williams-Barnett would be quite the wildcard during the end-of-season run-in. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder only made his first-team debut back in September 2025, but he's been electric for the academy this term.

Across the Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League, Williams-Barnett has featured 16 times, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists. Until Maddison rebuilds his match fitness, the teenager could be an exciting option for De Zerbi if he doesn't want to reshuffle the pack.

Tottenham are in danger of dropping down to the Championship and a former captain has questioned the moment he believes things turned

Teddy Sheringham says he is "still mystified" by Tottenham's decision to sack Ange Postecoglou as they attempt to save their Premier League status in the weeks ahead.

Spurs dispensed with the services of Postecoglou just weeks after he ended their 17-year trophy drought with the Europa League triumph in Bilbao. The club appointed Thomas Frank and then sacked him after eight months in charge. Igor Tudor was brought in as an interim head coach and duly left winless after 44 days at the helm.

Now Roberto De Zerbi has taken on the job and with just four matches remaining, Spurs lie in the drop zone, two points behind West Ham.

"Ange Postecoglou must still be sitting at home thinking 'how did I lose my Tottenham job?' Why is he still not in charge? I understand the league position last season wasn't great, but he put all his eggs in one basket to win something, because he wanted to win something. I'm still mystified on that decision to replace him to this day," Sheringham told Oddschecker.

"Some of the games I saw they could have been six up in the first 10 minutes, by the way they peppered teams and got behind them. It was just unbelievable, unbelievable edge of the seat football. I'm not saying that Spurs should go back to him, not now anyway, but we'll never know."

The 60-year-old added: "I've been concerned for a good two months how it's escalated into a debacle at the football club. For a start, Igor Tudor coming in, not knowing a thing about the Premier League, was one of the most absurd appointments I've ever seen, especially in a crunch time!

"For me, I think there's going to be a lot of points won by the teams down there, by Tottenham and West Ham. And I think it's going to bring Forest and Leeds back into it. My gut feeling, as of today, is that we still stay up. I suppose that's the optimistic view. You know Terry Venables, my old manager, always used to say when you're losing games, you can't see yourself winning, but when you're winning games you can't see yourself losing."

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Sheringham believes the fault lies at board level when it comes to the mess the north London club find themselves in.

"Well, everyone thought Thomas Frank was such a good appointment in the first place, but that turned very sour very quickly. He did well at Brentford but there's a big difference between managing Brentford and Tottenham. Then, for Igor Tudor to come in, who doesn’t know anything about the Premier League, was just so such an absurd appointment that it just couldn't work," he said.

"It’s the people above the management, and after that you need to take account of what's happened. It’s absurd what's been going on at the football club over the last 18 months."

Sheringham believes Tottenham's two centre-backs for the run-in will have to lead the team from the back.

"I think Van de Ven is your leader as a player, but I don't know what he's like as a talker. I've not really heard much about the way he speaks, but he definitely leads on the football pitch," said the former England striker.

"He's Dutch as well, which, which gives him an air of being above other people and that he understands what football's all about. That's the way the Dutch are in general.

"I really like Kevin Danso as well. I think he leads by example in his play. Other than that, there's not a lot of leaders out there."