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Roberto De Zerbi has been one of the leading candidates to replace Thomas Frank at Tottenham.

De Zerbi has consistently been linked with Tottenham in recent years, most recently in the summer when Ange Postecoglou was dismissed.

Since Frank was sacked on Wednesday, the Italian manager’s name has resurfaced as his potential successor.

Despite being dismissed by French side Marseille on the same day, De Zerbi would be a great option to succeed Frank, especially after what he achieved with Brighton before moving to France.

Sources close to him have now spoken out on his return to management.

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Roberto De Zerbi set to take a break from management

De Zerbi guided Marseille to a second-placed finish in Ligue 1 in the 2024-25 season.

However, a shocking exit from the Champions League, coupled with poor domestic results, led to his dismissal on 11 February.

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has shared an update on X, saying: “De Zerbi, who’s recently left Marseille and often linked with a return to the Premier League, is not looking to take a job right now as it stands and having a break, according to people close to him.”

He is known as one of the most intense coaches in Europe, and it’s not a shock that he is evaluating his options before thinking of a return to management.

De Zerbi is already a proven success in the Premier League after securing European football for Brighton in 2022-23.

The Italian head coach is a maverick, and while he is certainly someone that all Tottenham fans would have gotten behind, ENIC will have to consider other options.

Tottenham need to hire a manager who is similar to De Zerbi

De Zerbi’s man-to-man pressing system is something that he is well known for, and Spurs could do with a manager who plays an aggressive style of football.

Frank has led Tottenham towards relegation due to his uninspiring style of play, and the supporters are demanding football that is easy on the eye at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

De Zerbi has a strong amount of experience and a positive record on his CV, which would have made him a good fit for the job.

However, with him now being unavailable, Spurs may turn their attention to hiring an interim manager before securing a permanent replacement.

Mauricio Pochettino could return to Tottenham in the summer, which means they’d need someone now who can steady the ship until the end of the campaign.

The Argentine is a fan favourite, and he’ll have nothing to prove to the supporters.

If they can’t secure the appointment of Pochettino, then Spurs will struggle to find an energetic manager similar to both him and De Zerbi who would be willing to take the job.

All of the noise at Tottenham is around one manager – Mauricio Pochettino.

Thomas Frank was sacked by Spurs on Wednesday, the morning after Tottenham crashed to another saddening 2-1 defeat against Newcastle.

It leaves the Lilywhites looking for yet another new manager, but 16th in the Premier League and only five points above the relegation zone.

Pochettino is the current favourite to take over, but he would not be available until the summer after the World Cup with the USMNT.

Mauricio Pochettino has ‘got’ Tottenham job already

Covering the latest situation in North London for beIN Sports, Jason McAteer shared the noises he has heard which suggest the job is already Pochettino’s.

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The former Liverpool midfielder did admit that it would require an interim appointment first, but whoever that could be is unknown in this scenario.

“If they wait for Pochettino, because that’s the noise, that he’s got it,” he said.

“What do they do now? Who’s the firefighter that can keep them up?”

https://x.com/beINSPORTS_EN/status/2022036331816181832

Richard Keys immediately responded to the manager claims, saying that Tottenham will not even get close to being relegated despite their struggles.

“Spurs won’t get into trouble, there’s only one place that you’re trying to avoid, and it’s either West Ham or Nottingham Forest,” he said.

What is next for Tottenham?

No matter who is in charge, the task at hand will not change.

Spurs need points quickly, and they need to bat away any concerns of relegation, despite their dreadful form that goes all the way back to the start of last season.

Tottenham somehow finished 17th last season, and Ange Postecoglou was sacked after.

Lessons weren’t learned, though, and Spurs are now 16th, yet closer to the bottom three.

Tottenham have Arsenal next on 22 February, so there is plenty of time for a new manager to be installed, but not much hope of any success in the North London derby.

Pochettino doesn’t have the job yet, obviously, but the noise is all going that way.

Even if he did agree to return to Tottenham, it likely wouldn’t be announced until the summer and after the World Cup, so there are many months before that yet.

ENIC better have a good excuse for their tight-fisted approach at Tottenham, as UEFA have released payouts from last season’s competitions.

As relayed by Kieran Maguire on X this Thursday, UEFA have announced the annual record payouts from last season’s Europa League and Champions League campaigns.

The findings have proved that Spurs banked £35.7million from winning the Europa League, which begs a serious question of Joe Lewis and Co.

Not to mention the fact that Tottenham have gone backwards since breaking their trophy curse, with Thomas Frank’s sack already being announced this week.

Further details can be broken down, which prove just how badly Spurs fans are being treated by ENIC right now.

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ENIC barely lifted a finger in winter transfer window

Lewis was said to have a £150million winter budget to splash on transfers, and after spending less than a third of it, the only excuse is surely over the uncertainty that clouded Frank’s future.

Conor Gallagher was Tottenham’s biggest signing, coming in at £35million, as Souza and James Wilson acted as additions for the future.

Spurs did sign the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons in the summer, but big names were expected to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after such a successful season last campaign.

However, UEFA’s report mentions how much competitions have made through the Champions League, which has now fully exposed ENIC.

Tottenham have nearly doubled UEFA cash boost through Champions League success

The readings state that Manchester City made around £66million from reaching the round of 16 in the Champions League.

Tottenham have progressed through to the knockout phase of the Champions League, and will now benefit from a similar payout that City have seen, if not more.

The Lilywhites have already received £35.7m and could potentially make an additional £66million, or possibly even more if they keep progressing in the competition. It only shows ENIC’s lack of ambition.

A net spend of £12million in the winter window was simply not good enough, and so far, it looks like the stars brought in are here for a relegation battle. That says a lot about where the club is right now.

Ange Postecoglou doesn’t believe Tottenham are a big club, and Jan Vertonghen seems to agree.

Speaking on The Overlap, Postecoglou was heavily critical of the Tottenham board and doesn’t believe they know what kind of football club they want to be.

Whilst he praised the stadium and facilities that the club have, the former Spurs boss made it clear that he doesn’t feel Tottenham are a big club partly due to their inability to compete with others in the transfer market regarding wages.

And, in a video clip of the interview that was shared to The Overlap’s Instagram account, Tottenham hero Vertonghen liked the post, seemingly showing he shares the same opinion as Postecoglou.

Tottenham chiefs will feel hurt by Ange Postecoglou’s comments

The size of Tottenham Football Club is one of the more hotly debated topics in the field of club size in the Premier League.

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Spurs’ stadium, infrastructure and Premier League history would tell you that they are indeed a big club, and that Postecoglou’s comments are harsh.

However, they have only won two major trophies in the 21st century, those being the Europa League win in 2024-25 and the League Cup triumph in 2007-08 respectively.

Indeed, it’s a debate that will continue to rage on until Tottenham put it beyond any doubt, one way or the other, but what Spurs chiefs will feel hurt by is the fact these comments have come from Postecoglou.

He was the manager who was granted the green light to break Tottenham’s transfer fee record when signing Dominic Solanke for £65million in the summer of 2024.

On top of that, he was also given £40m to splash on Archie Gray, £47.5m on Brennan Johnson, £40m on James Maddison, £39.7m on Pedro Porro and £43m on Micky van de Ven respectively, as well as more.

All of that money was spent and further signings made under Postecoglou in a two-year period, giving Spurs chiefs a very solid argument to say that they backed the Australian heavily in the market.

Postecoglou has burned any bridge regarding a Spurs return

Following Thomas Frank’s sacking this week, speculation has naturally been building over a potential return for Postecoglou in N17.

The 60-year-old has been out of work since being axed by Nottingham Forest in October last year, and despite Spurs’ 17th-placed finish under him last season, the Europa League win still sees him thought of fondly by most fans.

However, any chance of him now being reappointed by Tottenham is surely over, as his strong comments aimed at the boardroom will ensure.

Spurs now begin their search for Frank’s successor, with it as of yet unclear whether a caretaker boss will be targeted, or a permanent option be put in place.

Tim Sherwood has backed himself to take on the Tottenham job.

Tottenham are in a relegation battle, and while the same was said towards the latter stages of the previous campaign, those fears are well and truly alive right now.

That is what led to Thomas Frank’s sacking, with the Dane having failed to win any of the last eight games he had in charge of the North Londoners.

Heading into the final 12 games of the season, Spurs sit just five points above the relegation zone and need someone to come in and ensure that the gap is widened sooner rather than later.

And when discussing the situation live on Sky Sports, Sherwood believes he is the man to get them out of their current predicament, but also shared the reasons why he is highly unlikely to be given the role.

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What has Tim Sherwood said about his chances of being Tottenham boss?

Mauricio Pochettino seems likely to be the next permanent Tottenham manager, but the general feeling is that Spurs will look to hire an interim boss until the end of the campaign.

With Pochettino looking to compete at the World Cup with the USMNT, it makes sense.

Ryan Mason has been linked with the Tottenham job in that capacity, but Sherwood is adamant that he has what it takes to turn their fortunes around.

And his reasoning for that is quite fair, though so are his reasons as to why he won’t even be considered.

He said: “It was an honour for me to manage that football club, but it would be an honour for me to manage them again. I can do the job. I’ve proved I can do the job. So, um, what they can’t do is make a mistake with this appointment.

“I’m 50/1 [for the job], and that gives me absolutely zero chance. Here’s a reason for that, because it might not be sexy enough. It might be that I talk too much, and I’ve got too much of a personality for that hierarchy, possibly.

“I’m just summing up because if you look at what I did when I went in there for the job, I did the job. I did the job. What I was asked to do, win more games than you lose.”

The Premier League isn’t the same as it was in 2013

It goes without saying, but since Sherwood‘s last spell in charge of Tottenham almost 13 years ago, the Premier League has changed a lot.

That’s not to say that he wouldn’t be able to achieve safety, but it perhaps shows that it would be a lot harder than he is making it out to be.

Sherwood took charge of 26 games when appointed as manager back in December 2013, and he averaged 1.65 points per game.

If that were to be replicated, it would see Tottenham finish the campaign on 48 points, which is 10 more than they managed last season.

The one thing that he does have going for him is that he understands the club a lot more than many other candidates will, and there’s a case to be made to say that is what Tottenham need more than most right now.

Harry Redknapp has been touted with a return to Tottenham after Thomas Frank was sacked.

Frank was dismissed by Tottenham after the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on 10 February, which left Spurs sitting 16th in the Premier League table.

The board are understood to be looking for an interim manager, to take the reins until they can sort a permanent successor for the Dane in the summer.

Redknapp managed the Lilywhites between 2008 and 2012, guiding them into the Champions League, so he would be a popular solution.

How likely is Harry Redknapp return to Tottenham?

John Wenham does not want Redknapp anywhere near the role, despite the speculation about a potential return.

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He believes that it has been far too long since he last managed for him to step into the role and have the desired effect.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “I don’t agree with people saying Harry Redknapp, that is all very sentimental.

“He has not managed anybody for over a decade since he was last managing the Jordan national team and Birmingham City.

“Football has moved on in that time, you can’t just pick up and go into Tottenham, a team that should be challenging at the top end of the Premier League and is playing in the Champions League.”

What has Redknapp said about Tottenham job?

Redknapp has admitted that he would be willing to return to North London, but he thinks it is unlikely that he is called upon to take over in the coming weeks.

Speaking to Sky Sports News on 11 February, he said: “Would I fancy it? Of course, I would do it, without any shadow of a doubt.

“But I am a realist – I don’t live in cuckoo land. It is very doubtful if I would get the job, but could I do the job? Yeah, of course I could do the job.”

Given the 78-year-old’s lack of experience recently, the calls for him to come back made no sense, the game has changed massively since he managed at the top level or even at any level.

The time it would take him to get back up to speed with the state of the modern game may well condemn Spurs to relegation, so it is not worth the risk just for the sentimental value that it would bring in the short term.

The small boost it could possibly bring to the fanbase would be completely wiped away if they dropped down to the Championship under his management.

Tottenham have started their search for a new manager after the departure of Thomas Frank on Wednesday morning.

Frank was dismissed by Tottenham following the North London side’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Spurs had slipped down to 16th in the Premier League table under the Dane, and are now only five points clear of the relegation zone.

The Lilywhites have been linked with several different managerial options so far, but one man may already be ruled out of the race.

Robbie Keane would not take interim role at Tottenham

Robbie Keane is one of the names that have been mentioned in regard to Frank’s replacement.

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The Irishman is currently in charge of Hungarian side Ferencvaros, who sit top of the league and confirmed their place in the Europa League play-offs last month.

Keane had two separate spells at Tottenham as a player and was a real fan favourite during his time at White Hart Lane.

However, according to The Telegraph, the former striker would not be willing to take the Spurs job on an interim basis and would only leave Ferencvaros for a permanent role.

One of the options the North London club are exploring is bringing in a manager until the end of the season, before appointing a longer-term option in the summer.

Mauricio Pochettino is strongly linked with the job, but will only become available after he has taken charge of the USA’s World Cup campaign.

If Tottenham do opt to wait for Pochettino, then they are unlikely to be able to tempt Keane away from Hungary for a short-term spell.

Tottenham set new deadline for managerial appointment

The Telegraph are also reporting that Spurs were set to start talks with potential candidates on Thursday, as they seek a quick appointment.

Tottenham don’t have a game this weekend, after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa last month, meaning their next fixture is the North London derby against Arsenal on 22 February.

The Lilywhites want to have a new manager in the building by next Monday, when the players return to training from a short break.

It means that the hierarchy will have to move quickly to get an appointment sorted over the weekend.

Ange Postecoglou has questioned Tottenham’s true ambition despite their bold motto, ‘To dare is to do.’

The Aussie was left confused when he was relieved of his duties shortly after bringing a much-needed piece of silverware back to Spurs last summer.

Thomas Frank’s time with the Lilywhites hasn’t gone to plan, and Postecoglou seems to have once again proved right in his assessment of the club after the former’s sacking on Wednesday.

The ex-Nottingham Forest boss calls Tottenham a “curious” club, particularly for their off-field decisions, and had a swipe at ENIC while discussing their transfer strategies, speaking on The Overlap.

Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham are not one of ‘the big boys’

Postecoglou has been tipped for the job after Frank’s dismissal at Spurs, but his recent comments suggest he won’t be returning unless ENIC get rid of their egos.

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The 60-year-old is now a free agent after his controversial reign at Nottingham Forest earlier in the season, and many supporters would like to see him back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While speaking on The Overlap, Postecoglou explained how Joe Lewis and Co’s words were never really backed up by action, particularly in the case of transfers.

Postecoglou said: “Tottenham as a club say they’re one of the big boys. I don’t think they are in terms of my experience over the last two years in how they act.

“When Arsenal need players, they’ll spend £100m on Declan Rice. I don’t see Spurs doing that.”

Taking to X, Tottenham fans then weighed in on Postecoglou’s comments, suggesting that he is 100 per cent bang on the money.

One Tottenham supporter said: “Oh my god, he’s cooking the board.”

Another Spurs fan said: “Cook the frauds. Nah, falling in love with him again.”

Here’s Tottenham’s best spend on transfers for Postecoglou

Postecoglou has made his disappointment public about Spurs selling Harry Kane before his first full season in charge, and suggested he would have got them into the top four of the Premier League, had the striker stayed.

But, it would be false to say that ENIC didn’t have outgoing expenses for transfers, as the Aussie welcomed in over £150million worth of signings in the summer of 2024.

But obviously, the names seen in the graphic above, except for Dominic Solanke, were all signings for the future.

While the trio of youngsters could turn out to be world-class talents for Tottenham, the investments simply couldn’t demand instant success, unlike some of the additions that Spurs’ competitors were making that year.

In all, Postecoglou is right to publicly slam Spurs’ board, as the Lilywhites really are heading in an unknown direction, with Frank a clear backwards step from Postecoglou.

Sorry, Ange Postecoglou – it’s yourself you need to look at and not Tottenham bigwigs

It has been a whirlwind week for Tottenham

Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle on Tuesday, making it eight straight Premier League matches without a win.

After a horrid night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Thomas Frank was sacked, with the Lilywhites sitting 16th in the standings.

With excellent comedic timing, ex-manager Ange Postecoglou joined Gary Neville and co for a chat on the Stick to Football podcast, where the Australian unleashed some honest comments about the club.

There has been enough said about Tottenham in recent years regarding ambitions, and where the club sits in terms of stature in the top-flight. But Postecoglou doesn’t get away from the situation in North London without taking any form of blame.

Ange Postecoglou knew what he was walking into at Tottenham

For multiple decades, Tottenham have been perennial underachievers.

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It says enough that serial winners Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte have been at the club in recent years, and were unable to get Spurs firing on all cylinders.

Postecoglou carries a commendable record with him, having achieved success across Asia, and with Celtic prior to his Premier League move.

However, Postecoglou’s comments that Tottenham “aren’t a big club” directly involve him, with the simple fact of the matter being that a ‘big club’ would be looking at much more reputable options than the Australian when it came to the original decision to replace Antonio Conte.

Ange knew exactly what he was walking into at Spurs. And comments regarding Arsenal spending £100million on Declan Rice, as though Spurs were in the running, is just his way of spinning the narrative.

Of course, Postecoglou brought with him a fantastic mindset and a willingness to change things at Tottenham. But it all goes back to the original point that if the aforementioned duo couldn’t, then there is a serious systematic error behind the scenes at the club.

Some sympathy is due, with an injury crisis leaving Spurs without 11 first-teamers at a point in the 2024-25 campaign – a ready-made top club would have an adequate squad to survive this, and not slip to what was an eventual 17th-place finish.

This would be Tottenham’s worst league finish since the 1976-77 season, and when push comes to shove, it naturally makes a manager’s position untenable.

Spurs sit 16th as of now, but a direct comparison between this season and last would be rather skewed, with the hapless trio of Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester meaning there was never a real relegation threat, compared to the current positioning leaving Spurs just five points above the bottom three.

Tottenham have a long way to go with repairing systematic failure

During Tottenham’s recent peak years under Mauricio Pochettino, the club were looking to finally break into a group of serious title challengers. Though after a strong period under the Argentine, the following years have indicated that there was a lot more luck than judgement behind the scenes.

Pochettino was fantastic for the club, helping to bring through the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli, while the centre-back pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen and more all reached world-class levels.

The fact of the matter here is that a club ready to compete on all fronts would have had a succession plan when the brilliant Belgian duo began to decline, alongside all the others mentioned – before Kane’s departure in 2023.

Postecoglou does not go without blame for his final year at the club; a 17th-place finish will never allow that, despite his legacy being rightly secured among fans for his European exploits.

And it is the European triumph of last May that has seen the cracks appear again, with the win now seemingly left to the history books, rather than being a transformative moment as expected.

Tottenham have showcased themselves as a club simply not equipped to fire on all cylinders. And whoever it is that walks through the door at the club has to consider this and understand that it will not be them who is able to change the culture.

Mourinho couldn’t, Conte couldn’t, Postecoglou and Frank certainly couldn’t.

Thomas Frank was sacked by Tottenham on Wednesday as the board finally lost patience with an abysmal run of results.

Spurs are winless in their last eight Premier League games, losing four and drawing four in that time.

The latest defeat came at the hands of Newcastle United on Tuesday evening, Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey scoring for the visitors either side of Archie Gray’s second-half equaliser.

Frank was dismissed just hours after the full-time whistle, and the North London side have now started their search for his replacement.

Richarlison sends four-word message to Thomas Frank

Richarlison has been a shining light for Tottenham at times this season, already managing seven Premier League goals this term.

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The 28-year-old was given regular starts under Frank while Dominic Solanke was out injured, and performed relatively well considering the situation.

However, Richarlison picked up a hamstring issue during Spurs’ FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa back in the middle of January, and has been stuck on the sidelines ever since.

The Brazilian has been unable to play a part over the last seven matches, as Frank’s time in North London came to a premature end.

There have been very few messages of support for the Dane since his departure was announced, but Richarlison took to Instagram on Thursday morning to send a thank you to his former boss.

He shared a photo of himself and Frank on the training pitch, with the caption: “Thanks mister for everything.”

Despite the narrative that the 52-year-old was disliked by the squad, Richarlison’s message seems to hint that he did have some good relationships with his players.

The post was liked by James Maddison, who never played a competitive game under Frank after rupturing his ACL in pre-season.

Could Richarlison leave Tottenham this summer?

Richarlison was heavily linked with a Tottenham exit in the winter transfer window, but he ended up staying in North London.

The forward even called out a Brazilian journalist who had consistently reported that he was close to a move away, calling rumours of his departure ‘fake news’.

However, the point remains that Richarlison’s time at Tottenham could well be coming to an end, with this summer seeming like the perfect opportunity for both sides to part ways.

The former Everton man’s current contract expires at the end of next season, meaning this summer could be the last opportunity for Spurs to cash in.

If the new Tottenham manager, whoever that may be, is looking to stamp his own identity on the squad, then Richarlison could be one of the first on the chopping block.