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Pochettino guided Spurs to a second-placed finish in the league in 2016-17 and reached the Champions League final in 2019 during a five-year spell in north London.

But it is a radically different picture now for Spurs, who sit 18th, two points from safety with four league games remaining.

Appearing on the The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Pochettino said: “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, my personal life too.

“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.”

Pochettino’s time at the club coincided with the building of the club’s current stadium and training ground, a period which saw them playing ‘home’ games at Wembley while transfer funds were limited given the investment elsewhere.

Pochettino named Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum as two players he had wanted to sign for the club, but instead they both joined Liverpool and were part of the side that beat Spurs 2-0 in the Champions League final.

“It’s a shame,” Pochettino added. “We were winning every season because with all the circumstances that we were fighting, we spent 18 months with not 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.”

Five months after the Champions League final, Pochettino was sacked by then Spurs chairman Daniel Levy following a poor start to the season, replaced by Jose Mourinho.

After a short spell with Paris St Germain, Pochettino returned to the Premier League as Chelsea head coach in May 2023.

But 12 months later he was dismissed after a sixth-placed finish – experiencing what has continued to be a regular churn of managers hired and fired by Chelsea owners BlueCo, who have just sacked Liam Rosenior after only 23 games in charge.

Asked if the club was as chaotic as it appears, Pochettino said of BlueCo: “I think they have a plan. Maybe it is completely different than it was in the past with (former owner Roman) Abramovich. It’s true it’s not easy for people to understand…I think they need to explain the plan.”

Pochettino is now preparing to lead the United States into this summer’s World Cup, where they will be co-hosts alongside Mexico and Canada, but the 54-year-old indicated he would like to work in the Premier League again in the future.

“One day yes, because I really like England,” he said. “I think my profile – my human profile and my coaching profile – match very well with the Premier League.”

Here, the Press Association looks at the options in the 18th-placed Spurs squad that Roberto De Zerbi could turn to during the club’s final four games of the Premier League season.

Mathys Tel

The most likely candidate to benefit is Mathys Tel, who has been a rare shining light for Tottenham during a disastrous second half of the campaign, with his fearless mentality and non-stop desire to run at defenders earning him plaudits.

Tel went 11 weeks without a start under Thomas Frank before the 21-year-old forced his way into contention at the start of 2026 and a string of consistent displays under Igor Tudor followed.

However, De Zerbi had used Simons on the left side behind Dominic Solanke but that is where Tel flourished under Tudor and played late on at Wolves, where he forced the corner which produced Joao Palhinha’s winner. Spurs desperately need creativity and a goal threat – could Tel provide that?

Lucas Bergvall

One alternative for De Zerbi would be to bring the highly rated Lucas Bergvall into the team and potentially deploy him on the left or in fact on the right, which would mean Randal Kolo Muani would switch to the opposite flank.

Kolo Muani was hooked after 45 minutes at Wolves following a largely anonymous display and De Zerbi joked he must take the France international out every day in order to boost his confidence in a cryptic way which suggested he was in the last-chance saloon.

If Bergvall could be used on the right to provide energy and some creative flair, it would allow De Zerbi the opportunity to give Kolo Muani one final chance to prove his worth in Tottenham’s time of need.

Richarlison

Spurs could well be without Solanke during the run-in after he suffered a muscle problem on Saturday and even though Richarlison looks the likely candidate to play through the middle, De Zerbi could throw a curveball.

Richarlison was used on the left in De Zerbi’s debut fixture away to Sunderland. If the versatile Brazil attacker is fielded there again, it would allow Kolo Muani to play as the central striker.

Kolo Muani’s five goals for Spurs and his best performances in England have occurred when used as a centre forward. A final roll of the dice by De Zerbi to get a tune out of the Paris St Germain loanee may be to put him up front and Richarlison wide left.

James Maddison

The most obvious replacement for Simons in an ideal world would be James Maddison, but the playmaker has not played since his own anterior cruciate ligament injury in August.

Maddison’s presence on the bench for the last two fixtures has felt purely to give a depleted squad a psychological, especially given he has not warmed up during the Brighton and Wolves matches.

Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa will fall on the nine-month anniversary of Maddison’s ACL injury and given he has been back with the first-team group for many weeks, he could be ready to make an eagerly awaited return – but can he start after such a lengthy lay-off?

Tynan Thompson

De Zerbi could cast an eye over Tottenham’s academy and with talented academy graduate Luca Williams-Barnett still sidelined, it may open the door for natural left winger Tynan Thompson.

Thompson has regularly impressed for Wayne Burnett’s under-21s this season, scoring seven in seven in the UEFA Youth League and recently firing Spurs through to the Premier League 2 play-offs with goals against Leicester and Blackburn.

Aged only 18 and part of the first-team matchday squad previously, it would seem unlikely that De Zerbi turns to youth in such a desperate situation but right-footed silky winger Thompson would no doubt back himself to make an impact.

Netherlands playmaker Xavi went down clutching his right knee in the 58th minute of Saturday’s 1-0 win at Wolves, which earned Spurs a first Premier League victory of 2026.

After Xavi fell to the floor following a collision with Wolves defender Hugo Bueno, the 23-year-old attempted to run off the injury but collapsed in front of Tottenham’s medical staff and subsequently left Molineux on a stretcher.

It increased fears over potential anterior cruciate ligament damage and, while Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi acknowledged Xavi was feeling “better” in the dressing room after a first league win in 16 matches, he is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.

During an Instagram post late on Sunday night, Xavi revealed he would not be fit enough to take part in Tottenham’s final four league matches or represent the Netherlands at the World Cup this summer.

“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,” the former Paris St Germain player said.

“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.”

The absence of £52million attacker Xavi is a significant blow to Tottenham and De Zerbi, who has already lost captain Cristian Romero and winger Mohammed Kudus to season-ending injuries during his first month at the club.

Xavi had endured a frustrating debut campaign in England, only showing flashes of his class under Thomas Frank before being bizarrely frozen out by Igor Tudor, but looked set for a key role with De Zerbi, especially after a wonder strike in a 2-2 home draw with Brighton.

Instead, Xavi can play no part in Spurs’ desperate efforts to overturn a two-point deficit to 17th-placed West Ham in order to avoid their first relegation in 49 years.

Xavi added: “It’ll take some time to find peace with this but I’ll continue to be the best team-mate I can be. I have no doubt that together we’ll win this fight.

“I’ll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me.”

Spurs travel to Sunderland on Sunday without a Premier League victory in 2026 and in a real fight to avoid a seismic first relegation in 49 years.

Tottenham initially turned to De Zerbi after Thomas Frank was sacked on February 11, but were unsuccessful after his exit from Marseille in the same week and instead went down the interim route with Igor Tudor.

It proved a disastrous appointment with Tudor losing five of his seven matches before he departed by mutual consent on March 29 and this time De Zerbi did answer Spurs’ SOS call, despite the realistic threat of a bottom-three finish.

With no relegation release clause included in a bumper five-year contract, De Zerbi was asked if money was the major factor behind agreeing to take over Tottenham in such a precarious position.

“No,” De Zerbi insisted. “You can find the right answer in my history because I left a lot of money in my life and the money never changed my focus on my work.

“Marseille was a special place. I didn’t say goodbye yet to my former fans, my former club, because I didn’t want to make any polemic. And in that moment, it was good to stay at home.

“For me, it’s not a problem this situation for Tottenham. When you come in this club, you have not to decide depending on the situation in that moment.

“You have to have a longer vision. Now, the focus is on this season, these seven games, to keep (in) the Premier League.”

De Zerbi feels the key is to change the mentality of a squad of players low-on-confidence, but also hinted that his front-footed and attacking style should be more suited to this group.

He added: “I want to keep the ball. I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with (Ange) Postecoglou because in my second season in Brighton, there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play.

“With Pedro Porro, with (Destiny) Udogie, with (Micky) Van de Ven, with (Cristian) Romero and I would like to see it again.

“The guys know the situation is very difficult, but if you watch them against Liverpool and also Atletico Madrid, they showed their qualities, they showed sometimes the right spirit.

“We have to show this for 90 minutes and we have to believe in ourselves – the most important part in football is the mental part.

“You are used to speaking too much about the style of play, the tactical disposition, blah, blah, blah, but in the end, the mental part is crucial in every work, especially in football, especially in this moment in Tottenham.”

With Guglielmo Vicario still sidelined, Antonin Kinsky faces a huge mental challenge if selected on Sunday after his two mistakes on a horror night against Atletico Madrid on March 10 where he was withdrawn after 17 minutes.

“I think his qualities are enough to play at Tottenham. The other players believe in him,” De Zerbi added.

“He has to stay calm and confident. He is playing at Tottenham. He has to be stronger than the mistakes and to move on.”

Fury will step out to fight in the UK for the first time since 2022 when he takes on Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after 16 months outside the ring.

During an entertaining half an hour media activity inside The Pelligon in Canary Wharf on Thursday night, Fury claimed to be the “Money Man” of the division and insisted his rivals will be “begging” to fight him given his star quality as the latest sporting athlete to feature live on Netflix.

Fury, who also used the final press conference to promote the second season of his Netflix series, turned his focus towards relegation-threatened Tottenham during the final ember of the ‘Gypsy King’ circus.

Spurs, who play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and are the ninth richest football club in the world, are currently on a 13-match winless run in the Premier League and embroiled in a first relegation battle for 29 years.

“It has been four years since I’ve been boxing in the UK,” Fury started.

“I’ve been out in Saudi Arabia, which was fantastic for me. It was unbelievable.

“Yeah, to come back to England and fight here, in a stadium at Tottenham Hotspur, let’s hope I do a lot better than Tottenham are doing right now because they are shocking at the minute!

“But it’s an unbelievable experience you know to have 60,000 cheering fans for you on Saturday night.”

Given Tottenham have only won two home league matches during a difficult campaign, Fury will hope to avoid the familiar tale of a home loss in N17 this season.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna faced questions over the controversial visit of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to Portman Road, while it is all change at the Italian Football Federation after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Roberto De Zerbi strikes conciliatory tone

New Tottenham boss De Zerbi has apologized for his past comments on Greenwood and insisted he would never intentionally downplay the issue of violence against women.

Spurs turned to De Zerbi after sacking Igor Tudor, with the Premier League outfit in 17th position and only one point above the bottom three after a disastrous campaign.

However, De Zerbi faced opposition from some fan groups in the days before his appointment due to his remarks as Marseille boss about Greenwood, who faced charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault causing actual bodily harm in 2022 before they were dropped.

“I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly,” De Zerbi said in his first interview with Tottenham’s in-house media, answering the question in Italian.

“In my life, I have always stood up for those who are more vulnerable, more fragile, I’ve consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk.

“Those of you who know me well will know that I am not the kind of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title.”

De Zerbi’s immediate focus is Tottenham’s current precarious position in the Premier League and he promised to be in charge next season “no matter what” – even if they are in the Championship.

The Italian said: “It is a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham, but I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment.”

Kieran McKenna urges fans to stay onside

Ipswich boss McKenna is confident the controversial visit of Farage to Portman Road last week will not undermine the club’s Premier League promotion bid.

A section of Ipswich fans criticised Farage’s visit before a rally at Trinity Park in Ipswich later the same day, while the club defended their decision to allow him to attend following the backlash on social media.

The club said in a statement that they remained “apolitical” and will engage with representatives “from across the political spectrum”.

McKenna’s side resume their automatic promotion bid at home to Birmingham on Monday.

“In terms of any concerns inside the training ground here, with the staff, with players, then honestly, I feel everyone is really together, really motivated and looking forward to the run-in,” the Town boss said.

“Our home support always has been fantastic in my time here. And the best way that we can bring that support behind the team and keep everyone noisy and pushing us, is to deliver a really strong performance in the absolute identity that the supporters can be proud of.”

All change for the Azzurri

Gabriele Gravina resigned from his position as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) following the country’s failure to qualify for this summer’s World Cup.

And former Italy goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon has stood down from his role as FIGC head of delegation.

The Azzurri suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday evening’s play-off final in Zenica.

Four-time champions Italy became the first former winners to miss out on three consecutive World Cups.

An election to appoint Gravina’s replacement will take place on June 22.

Rampant Barcelona march on

Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 6-0 in front of a crowd of more than 60,000 at the Nou Camp, completing a resounding 12-2 aggregate victory to coast into the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League.

Pere Romeu’s side go on to play Bayern Munich.

Lyon then saw off Wolfsburg 4-0 after extra-time to overturn their one-goal deficit from the first leg and secure a semi-final against holders Arsenal.

What’s on today?

Good Friday will see a full EFL fixture list, with Middlesbrough hosting promotion rivals Millwall in the Sky Bet Championship’s 12.30pm kick-off.

De Zerbi was confirmed as Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, which does not contain a relegation release clause, the Press Association understands, despite the north London club being only one point above the Premier League bottom three.

With seven games left this season, De Zerbi has limited time to work with a team without a league win in 2026, but has immediately been affected by an ongoing injury crisis in N17.

Senegal midfielder Sarr joined up with his national team last week and featured in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru, but was left out of the squad to face Gambia on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury, according to Senegalese media.

Any potential injury to Sarr would be untimely for De Zerbi, who has already discovered a lengthy list of absentees at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training ground, with Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus all previously sidelined or currently unavailable.

It adds to an already-complicated start to life at Spurs after De Zerbi’s appointment faced opposition from sections of the fanbase.

Three supporters’ groups produced ‘No to De Zerbi’ statements last Friday, owing to past comments about Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.

Former Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a woman after images and videos were posted online.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood, who denied the charges, has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.

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

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust explained on Tuesday they had “serious and far-reaching concerns” with this appointment.

PA understands Spurs carefully considered and discussed the comments and sentiments around Greenwood with De Zerbi during negotiations.

Later on Tuesday, Spurs’ LGBTQI+ fan group Proud Lilywhites said: “Whilst we disagree with the managerial choice, in terms of culture and competence, we will continue to support the players without pretending to be comfortable with the appointment.

“Staying silent is not the answer. But choosing when and where to be vocal matters.

“Managers come and go. Executives come and go. Players come and go. Fans remain. We are the constant in this club.

“We will continue to represent the views of our members to the club, alongside the other supporter associations.

“This is not noise or reaction. It is a considered position and it is not going away.”

Spurs Reach added: “As a group of fans who care about inclusion, representation and how people are treated, this one doesn’t fully sit right with us, both culturally and in the bigger picture.

“That said, we’re Spurs through and through… our support for the club we love, the community and each other goes way beyond any one appointment.”

It had been a rare positive week for Spurs with a spirited point at Anfield followed by a morale-boosting 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid to ease the pressure on Igor Tudor, but the interim boss is firmly back under the microscope after a potentially pivotal defeat in N17.

After the team bus was greeted with partisan backing outside the ground, Tottenham started on the front foot and hit the crossbar twice during a largely dominant first half, only for Igor Jesus’ 45th-minute header to give Vitor Pereira’s team a precious half-time lead.

It was a sucker-punch and further blows followed, with Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White able to finish off a slick move after 62 minutes before substitute Taiwo Awoniyi sent Spurs supporters heading for the exits when he tapped in with three minute left.

Boos followed at full-time following another abject home loss, with Tottenham winless in 13 Premier League matches and down to 17th, only a point above West Ham, but Forest backed up Thursday’s Europa League progression with a crucial victory in the fight for survival.

A raucous atmosphere welcomed the arrival of the home team bus at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with an estimated 10,000 supporters lining the High Road to show their support.

After Kevin Danso beat Jesus to a dangerous cross early on, Tottenham built momentum and Archie Gray picked out Mathys Tel, who cut inside and had a shot deflected behind.

It sparked a spell of pressure, but Richarlison headed wide from Tel’s corner before Spurs hit the bar when a Danso long throw was inadvertently flicked on to the woodwork by Forest forward Jesus in the 16th minute.

Referee Michael Oliver waved away penalty appeals soon after on Pape Sarr and Micky van de Ven, deployed in an unorthodox left-back role.

The next action occurred in the Forest area when Richarlison flashed a ball across goal before the visitors stood firm amid a flurry of home corners.

Forest went close when Jesus knocked on Elliot Anderson’s header and Guglielmo Vicario – playing a day before a hernia operation – tipped over for Tottenham.

However, Jesus won the next battle as Gibbs-White’ corner to the back post was powered home by the Forest forward in first-half stoppage time.

As Spurs fans attempted to rally the team, Tel let fly from 25 yards and forced Metz Selz into a wonderful finger-tip save on to the bar.

VAR ignored penalty appeals by Tottenham captain Cristian Romero and Tudor made a double substitution.

Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall were sent on, but Forest went close to a second when Anderson found Neco Williams, but Vicario saved well.

A wild left-footed effort by Gray was followed by a lack of composure from the hosts and it ended with a second Forest goal.

Callum Hudson-Odoi raced past Pedro Porro and cut the ball back for Gibbs-White to fire through Vicario after 62 minutes.

Tottenham’s problems were compounded when Tel limped off, but Bergvall poked wide an Udogie cross to hint at a possible comeback.

But it was not forthcoming and, after Sarr had a volley blocked, Forest wrapped up a first league victory since January 25 when Awoniyi tapped in Williams’ cross to spark a mass exodus from the stands.

Goalkeeper Dylan Thompson, 18, put pen to paper on his first professional deal with Tottenham Hotspur last week.

The highly rated shot stopper - who joined The Lilywhites after moving from Norwich during the 2023/24 season - agreed the new deal at Hotspur Way.

He has previously been with Norwich in the academy youth set up and was a highly regarded prospect, being involved with the Canaries from the age of nine upwards.

But after going on trial at Spurs in 2023 ahead of a potential move to the Premier League club, he made the full time switch to North London and signed a two year Academy scholarship with them in July 2024 when he was just 16.

Now 18, his proud dad Eddie - who captained Gorleston - said on social media: "What a journey no more than you deserve worked so hard for this, enjoy it."

The highly-rated shot stopper spent time on loan at Barton Rovers FC last season.

Announcing the deal on the official Spurs website on Thursday, the club said: "We’re delighted to announce that Dylan Thompson has signed his first professional contract with the Club.

"The 18-year-old goalkeeper has produced a number of impressive performances for our Under-18s this season, having been part of our Under-17 Premier League Cup-winning squad last term.

"He joined our Academy from hometown club Norwich City midway through the 2023/24 campaign, having been with the Canaries since the Under-9s."

Born in Norwich and with links to Philadelphia, USA, Thompson made his Under-18s debut for Spurs in a 5-3 home win over West Bromwich Albion in April 2024.

He has made six appearances in the U18 Premier League for Spurs this season and also gained some youth international experience with England at an Under-15 training camp.

An eye-catching exchange occurred moments after full-time as boos echoed around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Frank urged stand-in captain Van de Ven and Spence to applaud the home fans.

Van de Ven and Spence instead ignored the Spurs boss before they headed straight down the tunnel, with Frank left staring in their direction, but ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Copenhagen in the Champions League, the 52-year-old confirmed the matter was closed.

“Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday unprompted and said they want to say sorry for the situation,” Frank explained.

“They didn’t want it to look bad or disrespectful and all the kind of perceptions you can get in this media world. So, that was not their intention at all towards me, or the team or the club.

“They were just frustrated with the performance, the loss and the booing during the game.

“We all have a perception and we are very good to have that strongly that, ‘ah that is because whatever, because their mum wasn’t well or they didn’t like the head coach or they were irritated with the performance, or because they lost’. We are very, very good at that but none of us knows.

“That would be my first question to them – how and why? Of course I am happy, because I knew the question would come today, that they were coming in (already).

“It means they care and I think that is very good. They care about the team, the club and in this case me, so happy with that.

“That is very good and we had a good talk about a lot of things, but like everything we will keep it internally.

“Like I said to the players when I said before, it would be very, very, very unusual if I ever throw a player under the bus. We are all humans but I will always protect them.”

Spence is a doubt for the visit of Copenhagen after he sat out training on Monday along with Mohammed Kudus, but Frank confirmed they “could and should” feature on Tuesday.

Quizzed on if the matter with Van de Ven and Spence was now closed after both apologised, Frank added: “For me? Ah yeah. 100 per cent (closed).”

Even if Spence and Kudus do recover to face Copenhagen, Tottenham could be without 10 players due to Lucas Bergvall being ruled out with concussion.

Bergvall took a blow to the back of the head from a clearance by Enzo Fernandez in the fourth minute against Chelsea and despite being eager to carry on, Spurs’ medical staff decided otherwise after doing a concussion test.

The Swedish midfielder will now miss the visit of Copenhagen and the home clash with Manchester United on Saturday.

“Djed and Mo got a knock. They could and should be available,” Frank confirmed.

“Lucas got concussion. Big praise to the medical team because it’s a tricky situation to be in.

“Everything is on it so well done to them because the players’ health is the most important thing.

“He’s out for the next two games.”