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Tottenham Hotspur are working to appoint Roberto De Zerbi as their next head coach with immediate effect – but the gamble could be one too many for the club’s hierarchy.

De Zerbi has now been identified as Spurs’ No 1 choice to replace Igor Tudor, but they face an uphill struggle to convince him to start work during their Premier League relegation fight.

Tudor departed by mutual consent on Sunday, but in truth, the writing had been on the wall after the 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest before the international break.

Sean Dyche and Harry Redknapp are seemingly in the frame to step in until the end of the campaign, but De Zerbi is the preferred candidate and fresh talks are underway.

However, with Tottenham closing in on a new manager, the spotlight has turned on Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange. If this gambit fails, supporters will demand answers.

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Vinai Venkatesham risks Spurs future on Roberto De Zerbi

For Venkatesham, this could be his final chance to prove he has what it takes to hold the reins in N17, with much of his tenure to date pockmarked by disaster after disaster.

After appointing Tudor as interim head coach on a deal until the end of the season, sporting director Lange said it was not “relevant” who he and Venkatesham had spoken to.

But after the 47-year-old stepped away with a solitary win under his belt, questions will be asked of the duo. These criticisms will surely stir again if De Zerbi’s hiring backfires.

While the financial package tabled for the Italian has not been confirmed, it will certainly total tens of millions at a time when the club’s top-flight status is teetering in the balance.

It is a major calculation, and Venkatesham can’t afford for it to go wrong. The decision will decide whether they stay in the Premier League and dictate their future ambitions.

De Zerbi has been offered a five-year contract alongside a survival bonus, despite the fact that he has rarely stuck around at his past clubs for that length of time.

Add in the fact that he is notoriously demanding and unpredictable, and Spurs have a very muddy picture when what they really require is clarity and unity across the board.

De Zerbi’s managerial career in numbers

According to Sofascore, De Zerbi has a 43 per cent win ratio across his managerial career, having won 200 matches and lost 160 over his eight clubs to date.

He enjoyed success in the Premier League during his two-year spell with Brighton but decided to leave in June 2024 following disagreements over the club’s future direction.

De Zerbi averages 1.52 points per game, which would be enough to secure Spurs’ survival.

His longest stint came at Sassuolo, where he took charge of 120 matches in just shy of three years, while his most recent role at Marseille saw him leave after a year and a half.

The warning signs, then, are clear for all to see, but Venkatesham has chosen to ignore them. In doing so, he has staked his Tottenham future on the appointment.

He must therefore walk if it doesn’t work out.

Ally McCoist believes that Chris Hughton or Harry Redknapp would both be good candidates to take on the Tottenham Hotspur job.

Spurs are searching for a new manager, with Roberto De Zerbi the clear leading option, but the former Marseille boss doesn’t seem 100 per cent sure on joining right now.

Tim Sherwood has thrown his name into the mix a couple of times, with Glenn Hoddle also believed to be open to a return to management after around two decades out of the game.

The Lilywhites are currently sitting in 17th place on 30 points with seven games to go, and will be hoping for at least another 10 points, which seems a hard ask as of right now.

Tottenham’s replacement for Igor Tudor will hopefully be announced before their next Premier League game, and there would be uproar if it were one of Hughton or Redknapp.

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What has Ally McCoist said about Chris Hughton and Harry Redknapp?

People have split opinions on what Spurs need right now, whether that be an experienced head or someone like De Zerbi who can take the club forward even after this season.

Former Norwich City, Birmingham City, and Brighton boss Hughton is someone McCoist thinks could do a good job, but statistics don’t lie.

According to Managerstats.co.uk, Hughton had a 43.79 per cent win ratio at Brighton, which is widely regarded as one of his most successful gigs.

While speaking on talkSPORT this Monday, McCoist explained why Hughton and Redknapp would both be good fits for the Lilywhites.

McCoist said: “I think it’s an obvious one, you go and get a Chris Hughton or a Harry Redknapp, because those guys will give the place a boost and give the fans a boost.

“[They’d] just say the players, look at the mess we are in, can you get a little squad together and we’ll go and take our chances.”

Tottenham have been backed to appoint Hughton by Lilywhite Rose owner, John Wenham, but it would be one of the biggest shocks of the season if it did happen, and not for good reason.

Why Redknapp is better suited over the two; his record is still poor

Redknapp is someone who some Spurs fans may like the idea of, given his past time with the club.

However, there would be major questions asked of his ability to manage, given that he is now 79 years old and hasn’t managed since 2017.

According to Spurs Fandom, Redknapp had a 49.49 per cent win ratio as Spurs boss through his 198 games in charge, which rounds down to 49 per cent overall.

Though his record with Spurs looks better than the average record Hughton has had across his career, even with the likes of the latter’s 55.71 per cent win success with Newcastle United, it’s still not amazing.

But it does seem like most of Spurs’ eggs are in the basket for De Zerbi, and if he does turn them down, it will be scary to see what the Lewis family do next.

Tottenham Hotspur’s next manager will have a big job ahead of them, but Xavi Simons must be the focal point of their rebuild.

Spurs are on the hunt for their third manager of the season after the sacking of Igor Tudor, and Roberto De Zerbi looks to be that man.

The N17 outfit finds itself embroiled in the relegation battle, with Simons playing a rotation role under Tudor over recent weeks.

Spurs’ summer signing has shown promising signs in his performances, which makes his exclusion all the more odd.

Now, Simons could be key for Tottenham’s future manager and, if utilised correctly, can keep the Lilywhites in the Premier League.

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How Xavi Simons can keep Tottenham in the Premier League

Simons came to Tottenham with a big reputation and plenty of expectations, but he has yet to truly reach those heights.

At 22 years old, the Dutch international still has plenty of room to grow, and he has shown promise at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

If the next Spurs manager can instil confidence into the attacking midfielder and get him into the correct positions, he can be a difference-maker.

This season, no Tottenham players have created more big chances (six) or created a higher expected assists total (3.55) than Simons.

Additionally, only Mohammed Kudus (five) has provided more assists than Simons (four) in the Premier League for Spurs this campaign, as per Sofascore.

The 22-year-old also produces the third-most key passes (1.2) per match within the squad and has maintained an 82 per cent passing accuracy this season.

The attacking midfielder certainly has the quality to drive Spurs forward; he just needs a manager who can free him up to impact games.

Does Roberto De Zerbi play with an attacking midfielder?

As it stands, De Zerbi is the leading contender to take over at Tottenham.

For Simons, that is an appointment that will excite him based on De Zerbi’s previous work in England and the fact that he plays with a number 10.

At Brighton, the Italian utilised a 4-2-3-1 formation quite often and was able to extract strong seasons out of players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Joao Pedro, who often played behind the striker.

With a player of Simons’ quality, De Zerbi could be able to repeat the trick and provide Spurs with another arrow in their bow.

Pedro Porro should be concerned about his Tottenham Hotspur future beyond the summer.

Igor Tudor departed by mutual consent on Sunday after just 44 days, and the club are working to convince Roberto De Zerbi to take charge before the end of the season.

Porro will be playing for his seventh head coach since joining in January 2023, and one club employee has predicted he will be in trouble no matter who takes charge.

De Zerbi is Spurs’ No 1 target to replace Tudor and is now believed to be open to holding talks, having been offered a long-term contract in a major show of faith in his abilities.

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Why is Pedro Porro’s Tottenham future in doubt?

However, this may not be the news that Porro wanted to hear.

While he poses an offensive threat, the next head coach is likely to also judge him heavily on his defensive abilities, which have been exposed too many times throughout this campaign.

A look at his statistics reveals what supporters already know: that he is questionable in and around his own penalty area. Under De Zerbi, that would not be allowed to stand.

According to Sofascore, he has been dribbled past 1.3 times per Premier League game and blocked roughly 0.3 shots every 90 minutes.

Porro has also made five errors leading to efforts this season.

He is also beaten by his opponents too often. Indeed, the 26-year-old wins around 50 per cent of his duels in the top-flight, a figure which drops down to 47 per cent in the air.

His pass accuracy of 81 per cent inside his own half looks reasonable, but in fact shows his habit of gifting away the ball in dangerous areas and putting Spurs under pressure.

Spurs haven’t helped Porro

Porro will rightly point to Tudor’s indecision over his best position to defend himself, and he would certainly have a point. The constant chopping and changing was to nobody’s benefit.

The Spaniard was used as a centre-back, a right-back, a right wing-back and a right midfielder under the former head coach, and simply couldn’t build up a sustained rhythm.

On the decision to play him at the heart of the backline, one former Spurs employee told The Telegraph: “He [Tudor] can’t even be looking at the players properly to do that.

“Pedro is a great player, but he’s one of the worst defenders at the club.”

Roberto De Zerbi is now open to taking over at Tottenham Hotspur.

Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that the Italian is considering a long-term contract proposal at Hotspur Way, as talks continue over an agreement.

Igor Tudor was eventually sacked on Sunday, with Spurs taking half of the international break to make a decision over the Croatian.

Tottenham are currently one spot and one point above the Premier League relegation zone, as they hunt for their third manager of the season already.

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Roberto De Zerbi to Tottenham could happen soon

With talks underway to find an agreement, something must have changed.

De Zerbi was first said to be reluctant to take over at this stage of a relegation battle after recently leaving Marseille in France, so it’s a big U-turn.

Di Marzio went on to share that a five-year contract was on the table for the Italian, with the next few hours decisive over the final decision.

Despite not being sure, Tottenham have offered De Zerbi the guarantee that they will build a strong and competitive team from next season.

That will all depend on whether they stay in the Premier League, though.

Mauricio Pochettino dream is over

The whole idea of initially appointing Tudor until the end of the season was to push for Mauricio Pochettino once the World Cup was over.

But, Spurs royally messed up, and are now staring down the barrel of relegation, with the thought of another interim manager unacceptable, it seems.

Pochettino has made it clear that he would likely return to North London after leading the USMNT into their home World Cup, but that looks over now.

De Zerbi has become available, and Tottenham simply haven’t learned.

Offering a five-year contract and assurances that may never happen could leave them in exactly the same spot next season, if that is in the Premier League at all.

If it goes wrong, the Lewis family and ENIC are left with another multi-million-pound payment to escape it, when money could be tighter than ever.

For now, it appears every ounce of energy is going into appointing De Zerbi. Let’s just hope that everything doesn’t backfire spectacularly.

Tottenham Hotspur are working to appoint Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager.

The Italian is available for work after leaving Marseille in February, but he must be convinced to take the Spurs job before the end of the campaign, despite their relegation fight.

Igor Tudor departed by mutual consent on Sunday after just 44 days, with the dismal 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest before the international break his final match in charge.

While De Zerbi is Spurs’ No 1 choice to succeed the Croat, he would appear to prefer to wait until the summer, when he will know whether the club are still in the Premier League.

As Tottenham’s search for a new manager steps up, Tottenham News takes a look at everything supporters need to know – including his latest odds.

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What are latest Roberto De Zerbi odds?

De Zerbi’s odds have continued to tumble after Tudor stepped away from the N17 hot seat.

Indeed, he is now at 4/9 with two bookmakers as of Monday morning, a shortening from his 6/4 chances on Sunday. Sean Dyche remains the second favourite for the job at evens.

Clearly, De Zerbi, who managed Brighton & Hove Albion between 2022 and 2024, is the hot favourite, but Tottenham have a job on their hands to appoint him in the coming days.

Harry Redknapp is at 11/2 to make a stunning return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while Mauricio Pochettino, arguably the desired choice of supporters, is adrift at 10/1.

Ryan Mason, Robbie Keane and Adi Hutter are all at 12/1.

When was De Zerbi first linked to Tottenham?

According to The Guardian, Spurs had first weighed up moving for De Zerbi after sacking Thomas Frank in early February. However, they went on to appoint Tudor – an ill-fated move.

At the time, De Zerbi had stepped away from Marseille and decided he needed a break from the sport, with the 46-year-old anticipated to return to work in the summer.

It makes sense that Tottenham have reignited their interest, but they do face a stumbling block with De Zerbi understandably preferring to hold off until the end of the season.

The remaining seven top-flight matches would allow him to run the rule over the squad and plot sweeping changes from a distance, instead of being dropped into a relegation dogfight.

But the same publication claimed that Spurs believe they can tempt De Zerbi to take the job now, and will table a long-term contract designed to show their faith in his abilities.

Will De Zerbi take the job?

At present, it remains to be seen. Talks are set to continue, and Spurs want a resolution.

It would represent a gamble – potentially a career-defining one – as no manager would want the millstone of taking Spurs into the Championship around their neck.

De Zerbi would also need time and patience to instil his high-energy style of play into a broken squad devoid of confidence. With matches coming thick and fast, that is hardly ideal.

Tottenham want a new head coach in place for when training resumes fully after the international break, and the hope is that it will be De Zerbi rallying the troops.

Tim Sherwood would need to repeat the trick if he is appointed as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager.

Spurs find themselves in a bind as their top candidates to take over from Igor Tudor, Roberto De Zerbi and Mauricio Pochettino do not want to take over immediately.

A report from the Telegraph on 29 March claims that a short-term solution may be on the cards, with the likes of Sherwood, Ben Davies, Chris Hughton and Harry Redknapp as options for the interim gig.

The former would be the best possible outcome, as he has previously shown an ability to get a tune out of Tottenham players in his previous interim role.

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What was Sherwood’s previous record with Tottenham?

Sherwood did very well in his time in the Tottenham dugout between December 2013 and May 2014, winning 14 of his 28 matches in charge.

That gave him a win percentage of exactly 50 per cent, which would surely be enough to keep Spurs in the Premier League if he could repeat that.

The 57-year-old drew four matches and lost 10, picking up a total of 46 points, to guide the Lilywhites to a sixth-placed finish.

What has Sherwood said about Tottenham job?

Sherwood has already declared his interest in returning to try to save his former club.

Speaking on Sky Sports News on 23 March, he said: “I don’t think it is too late, I would keep them in the Premier League.

“I believe that someone with common sense keeps them in the Premier League, they’ve got the quality to be able to do it.”

So, he wants the job, and he had a good record the last time that he took it on, that is a positive sign for Spurs supporters.

Why Sherwood may be the perfect candidate

They would need him to repeat the trick this time around if he were named as the interim boss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but whether he can remains to be seen.

Given that he has not managed since leaving Aston Villa in October 2015, it would be a big ask, as the game has changed very much in more than a decade.

However, he may be up to speed as he regularly works as a pundit, so he will have had to follow the tactical trends, and he also brings the Spurs DNA that many supporters have been calling for.

One thing is for sure, he could get the fanbase back on board, and his record speaks for itself, he can get the players performing on the pitch, which is exactly what is needed in N17.

Micky van de Ven: Tottenham must resist following Netherlands’ left-back blueprint

Micky van de Ven often finds himself at left-back for the Netherlands, with the Tottenham Hotspur defender seeking a route into the World Cup.

The presence of strong defensive players such as Virgil van Dijk, Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt has made it tough for him to feature in central defence over the years.

While Van de Ven may not care and will simply play wherever his national side wants him to, it is not exactly his predominant position.

At Tottenham, he has mainly been a centre-back and has been a key player in that position.

Just before international football, Igor Tudor did show signs of copying the Netherlands blueprint in Tottenham’s games, but after his latest performance for the Dutch national team, the next manager must avoid doing so.

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Why Micky van de Ven must not play at left-back for Tottenham

Throughout his career at club level, Van de Ven has only played 17 games at left-back, with only 23 per cent of those coming in N17.

Before the international break, the Dutchman was deployed at left-back for Tottenham against Nottingham Forest.

However, he was ultimately taken off at half-time, with Tudor’s assistant citing tactical reasons for the decision.

Van de Ven, being deployed in that role, has now continued into the international break, with the 24-year-old playing there for his nation.

Similar to the outcome against Forest, there were few positives to take from his display.

Against Norway, the Spurs defender once again struggled when positioned wide in the defensive line. Van de Ven lost all six of his ground duels, a zero per cent win rate, and was dribbled past on three occasions, according to Sofascore.

The Dutchman did not attempt any dribbles, but his passing did seem to be on point. He created one big chance and was 100 per cent accurate with his long passes.

However, in the end, the Lilywhites player was rated the lowest among the defenders who started for Ronald Koeman’s side.

With Tottenham in a relegation fight, now is not the time for experimentation, and while it is a role he plays for his country, persisting with Van de Ven at left-back must not continue in N17.

Tottenham are well-stocked at left-back already

Tottenham have plenty of options for the left-back role, with both Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence available.

Additionally, winter arrival Souza could fill in on the left of the defence too.

All three of those choices are much better than the thought of sticking van de Ven out of position, in a role that he can often struggle in.

While his pace may seem like he would suit playing at left-back, the stats show that he can fail to deal with danger out wide.

Tottenham Hotspur have been slammed after Dougie Freedman rejected the chance to become their sporting director.

Freedman is widely regarded as one of the best in the game due to the deals that he pulled off while at Crystal Palace.

It was reported at the start of March that the 51-year-old was a contender for the post, but Miguel Delaney of The Guardian claimed that he had said no on 27 March.

Tottenham’s search will continue, seemingly with the former Nottingham Forest manager out of the running.

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What was said about Tottenham and Dougie Freedman?

John Wenham did not like the news that Freedman had turned down Tottenham, and he also believes that the sporting director appointment should wait until a permanent manager has been appointed.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “It is quite disappointing, I think Dougie Freedman would have been a fantastic choice for Sporting Director.

“Obviously, he did very good work at Crystal Palace, bringing through a lot of their great young English players; he has a good reputation in the game as a whole.

“Another article mentioned they were still looking at Paul Winstanley, who has evolved at Chelsea in that capacity, amongst others. So, it seems like they are still desperately looking for a new Sporting Director to come in the summer.

“It would make more sense for the manager to come in and then him to pick a Sporting Director he would like to work with, but it just sort of shows, unfortunately, the kind of amateurish style Tottenham are being run at the moment, where nobody really knows what they’re doing or what decisions need to be made.

“Amateur is the word, unfortunately, you remove Daniel Levy from that situation, he’s got years of experience to his name.

“These new directors and new owners of the club do not have those experiences of football management in the Premier League, but also just the game of football.

“None of those directors on the board has kicked a ball at any level, and they don’t have that in-game football knowledge, which is hugely problematic.

“Levy’s a businessman at the end of the day, but he used to go and watch Tottenham as a kid, he was a season ticket holder growing up and did know his stuff, I know he was a businessman, but he knew a lot more about football than the subsequent duo [Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange] do, whose reputation is basically in tatters.”

What next for Tottenham?

Surely Venkatesham and Lange have to leave their posts in the summer; that should be the first step to restoring Spurs.

The club has been nothing short of an embarrassment since the duo took over football operations from the departing Levy.

If the Lilywhites are to move forward and get back to where they belong, they need a new sporting leadership at the helm.

That starts with a new sporting director, but as Wenham argues, perhaps the new manager needs to be in the door first, so that they can work together.

Ange Postecoglou should be the chosen one at Tottenham Hotspur after Igor Tudor’s sacking on Sunday.

On 29 March, Spurs confirmed that they’ve parted ways with the Croatian manager by mutual agreement, with Goalkeeping coach Tomislav Rogic and physical coach Riccardo Ragnacci also leaving.

The North London outfit have promised an update on the next head coach in due course, but it can’t be anyone other than the Europa League-winning boss.

Going into the final seven Premier League games of the season a point above the relegation zone, what the Lilywhites arguably need the most is a united and cohesive squad.

Postecoglou was popular among players at Tottenham and some fans would have liked to see him stay in N17 after beating Manchester United 1-0 in May last year.

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Ange Postecoglou concerns overblown at Tottenham

Postecoglou didn’t have the best of Premier League campaigns with Spurs, with the Europa League victory papering over the cracks.

The North London outfit finished 17th last season, but they were still a long way off the bottom three and never under any real threat of going down.

Tottenham’s failures in recent months has proved that the Australian manager wasn’t the cause of their poor displays, leaving with a 46 per cent win rate.

Postecoglou was criticised for not paying enough attention to the defensive work required during his time at Spurs, but they were resolute in the Europa League final, with just 27 per cent possession, as per Sofascore.

The former Celtic boss changed his tactics for the final, with the Lilywhites scoring the one big chance they created, then sitting back to defend, winning 16 tackles, making nine interceptions, 36 recoveries, and 48 clearances.

Spurs need Ange Postecoglou now more than ever

With seven finals to go for Tottenham this season in the Premier League, Postecoglou has already shown he can change his tactics for monumental fixtures.

Spurs could also do with the Australian manager’s regular approach to games, scoring 1.7 goals in the English top flight last season compared to 1.3 this time around.

In the previous campaign, the North London outfit created 2.6 big chances per game in the league and that number has fallen to 1.7 since Postecoglou’s exit.

With everything the 60-year-old manager experienced at the North London outfit, he’s arguably the perfect fit to replace Tudor.