Sean Dyche is now the leading contender to replace Igor Tudor at Tottenham
Tottenham have an important decision to make regarding Igor Tudor’s future as Spurs slip closer to the relegation zone, and a surprise name has entered the fray.
Tottenham are looking at Igor Tudor’s future amid a disastrous run
Tudor has been offered the Atletico Madrid game, but don’t mistake that for job security.
Tottenham sources confirmed on Friday that their embattled Croatian midfielder will hold a press conference ahead of the Champions League last 16 first leg in the Spanish capital.
For a man whose position was so critical 24 hours earlier that Sam Wallace in The Telegraph was reporting that the club were considering a second managerial change within a month, that’s about as much of a relief as it sounds – which is to say, not much at all.
What happens after Atletico is anyone’s guess if the Lilywhites do not arrest this shocking slide.
The numbers are terrible: three games in charge, three defeats, nine goals conceded, one point above the relegation zone.
Fans walked out at half-time in Thursday’s 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, chants about the sack ringing out at what they now call the New White Hart Lane, and reports of a dressing room already restless under Tudor’s harsh and uncompromising ways.
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It would highly suggest that it is possible.
Micky van de Ven saw red. The palace erupted into chaos, while in the directors’ box, former Juventus director of football Cristiano Giuntoli – the man who hired Tudor from the Italian club last March – was watching from the stands.
The Telegraph report made it clear that Spurs are aware of the difficulty of the situation. Their officials, led by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sports director Johan Lange, are left to consider the decision which they know will be considered by all parties.
Do you sack the interim manager after just three games and perpetuate the chaos? Or do you stick with a man whose squad looks like he’s already out of it, while the games keep coming thick and fast?
Those programs, it must be said, are absolutely punishing.
After Atlético, it’s Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday, then the return leg of Europe on March 18, then the relegation six points at home to Nottingham Forest on March 22. There is a little breathing, not to mention rebuilding.
So, inevitably, words started to circulate.
Ferencvaros manager and Spurs striker Robbie Keane is believed to be one of the frontrunners to replace Tudor if the north Londoners decide to part ways with the company, while talks are believed to have been held with Roberto De Zerbi.
Italian sports paper Tuttosport, who have been following the car crash with great interest given Tudor’s time in Serie A, are reporting today with more names on their radar.
Sean Dyche is one of the ‘hottest names’ to replace Tudor at Tottenham
According to them, one of the ‘hot names’ to replace Tudor is none other than Sean Dyche – former manager of Nottingham Forest, Everton, Burnley and Watford.
Dyche is a no-nonsense Englishman from Kettering who made his name the hard way.
He spent 10 years at Burnley, taking them out of the Championship and establishing them as a top flight presence on a shoestring budget.
Organized, hard to beat, very competitive – his Burnley sides weren’t great, but they were effective.
He also played for Watford, and kept Everton struggling in 2022/23 before being sacked midway through the following season when results turned around.
“They are extremely strong,” Thomas Frank said of Dyche during his time at Everton.
“I know they’ve had a tough start where they’ve lost their first four games; one loss in their last seven says everything about them.
“Sean is an amazing coach and manager. He always makes his team very difficult to play against. They are physical, they focus on pressing, they are quick in transition, they are very good at set-pieces, and they play behind you.”
His record suggests a man made for this type of disaster – a firefighter in the truest sense.
And that’s exactly the problem for Spurs.
Tudor was sold to them as such. So was Frank, in a different way.
What Tottenham really need is someone who can build something sustainable – and Dyche, for all his qualities, has never been that man at the highest level.
He was also sacked by Forest earlier this season, despite his good win percentage.
If Spurs turn to the 54-year-old, that would really sum up the dire state of the club right now.
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He is clearly not ‘happy’.
