Let’s start with the positives. It may be better to commit a head coach to Spurs for more than just the seven remaining games of the season. The players could benefit from having a plan to buy into, and confidence arising from knowing that the future has been considered. It is worth almost any managerial price to stay in the Premier League, given relegation costs £350million. Employing a manager with Premier League experience is vital.

But, for Tottenham, making Roberto De Zerbi reportedly the third-highest paid manager in the league – on a deal with no relegation clause – means the rubbernecking only intensifies. What is it about his career at Brighton and Marseille that tells you he is worth such an investment?

All I can glean from the announcement is that either he or his agent is a good negotiator, willing to strike at a time of peak vulnerability for his prospective employer. How do you get paid more? You either propose a larger salary, or you secure a longer deal. Or, if the client is really desperate, you do both. The Tottenham board can spin the decision as an investment in the club’s future. It does not convince.

And let’s not forget the discomfort with which some fans view the appointment of De Zerbi in the first place. Three fan groups issued joint statements reminding the board that ‘De Zerbi has publicly defended Mason Greenwood in a way that downplays the seriousness of male violence against women and girls. That raises serious questions about judgement and leadership.’

Greenwood was charged in 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault. The charges were dropped in 2023. In November when De Zerbi was Marseille boss, he described Greenwood as a ‘good guy’.

The point these fans are making is  this doesn’t just raise questions about De Zerbi’s judgement, but also of the senior figures at Tottenham who have made the decision.

Executives at the club have been understandably praised for very little this season, but conversations about improving the ‘culture’ of the organisation, led by former Arsenal exec Vinai Venkatesham, have been greeted with optimism internally. De Zerbi’s appointment seems only to undermine them.

His combustible personal style is also a cause for concern. Before we even get into how the ragged collection of players available to the club might play anything approaching De Zerbi ball. Key to which will be crushed second-choice keeper Antonin Kinsky, who needs to start in the first game of the Italian’s reign against Sunderland in less than a fortnight.

Talking seriously about a first relegation since 1977 has been new experience for many Spurs fans, including me. The angst around the board’s recalcitrant sacking of Thomas Frank, the misguided – and brief – appointment of Igor Tudor, the continued slide towards serious trouble. These were all struggles we could deal with as a unit.

And so we did: the Cup Final atmosphere ahead of the recent Nottingham Forest game showed what a motivated, unified crowd could be. Feel free to continue to mock, but I will always feel proud of what we showed in Tottenham that day.

As the need for Tudor’s departure crystallised, the prospective candidate list was understandably sparse. Most fans at that stage considered a connection with the club to be key, the built-in respect that would flow in both directions vital.

De Zerbi has no connection. There is also no evidence from his career to indicate that he is the master of a quick turnaround. He’s been appointed in-season three times – from his first five games at Palermo, Benevento and Brighton in total he secured only a single win.

When Tudor was originally appointed, many hoped he would secure survival and keep Mauricio Pochettino’s seat warm until after the World Cup. Though De Zerbi’s track record means that his lasting more than a few months in north London seems unlikely, his five-year deal effectively kills that dream. The guardians of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club have therefore traded the ultimate fan unity candidate for… this guy. They’d better have seen something I haven’t.

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Tiger Woods had two opioid pills in his pocket when he was arrested for DUI in Florida on Friday.

An arrest affidavit seen by Daily Mail reveals the golf icon, 50, told police officers he was ‘looking down at this cell phone and changing the radio station’ before his rollover crash on Jupiter Island.

When officers searched Woods, they discovered two white pills inside the left pocket of his trousers. They were marked ‘M367’, which is hydrocodone. It is a highly-addictive opioid used to treat severe or chronic pain.

Woods, who has battled addiction to painkillers in the past, was also said to be ‘sweating profusely’ after the incident and an officer noticed his movement was ‘lethargic and slow.’ He’s also said to have been battling hiccups. 

The 15-time major winner’s eyes were also said to be ‘bloodshot and glassy’ and his pupils were ‘extremely dilated.’ When asked if he is currently taking any prescription medication, Woods replied: ‘I take a few.’ Woods is due in court on April 23.

It comes after Daily Mail first reported that Woods’ refusal to provide a urine sample at the scene was likely because he had taken heavy doses of prescription opioids from his repeated injuries.

Our insider agreed that the golf icon, who only returned to golf action last week at the TGL finals after months of injury rehab, is not one for ‘illegal drugs’.

‘I know the guy, that’s just not what he does,’ the source revealed. ‘He has been on tons of pain medication for years.’

The golf legend was arrested after he attempted to overtake a truck and trailer at high speed before clipping it and tipping his own SUV onto its side. 

Woods, who has been involved in other crashes over the years, is charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

He had been traveling at ‘high speeds’ on a residential road and after the crash showed ‘signs of impairment,’ Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken some kind of medication or drug. 

He described Woods as lethargic and said he agreed to a breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test and was arrested.

Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road with a 30mph speed limit. He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was going.

The Land Rover swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck but clipped the back end of the truck’s trailer, Budensiek said. Woods’ car then rolled onto its driver’s side and he crawled out.

The sheriff said Woods was ‘cooperative, but he’s not trying to incriminate himself.’ 

He said Woods has the right to refuse the urine test and that authorities ‘will never get definitive results with what he was impaired on.’

This was the fourth time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021 when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at a high rate of speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries. 

Woods said later doctors considered amputation. He also previously sustained multiple injuries to his left knee and his back during his golf career. 

It was the second time Woods has been arrested for a DUI not as a result of the influence of alcohol. 

He said he took a bad mix of painkillers when authorities found him in 2017 asleep behind the wheel of his car, the engine still running and its driver’s side damaged. Woods pleaded guilty then to reckless driving.

President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law Vanessa is dating Woods, was asked about the golfer when he landed in Miami on Friday afternoon for an investment summit.

‘I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,’ Trump said. ‘Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But, some difficulty.’

The Daily Mail revealed on Saturday that Vanessa was waiting for the golf legend when he returned home from the Martin County Public Safety Complex. 

‘She’s not happy at all,’ a source told the Daily Mail. ‘She’s both disappointed and a little bit p***ed, if I’m being honest. 

‘It’s a definite red flag and she told him that he’s going to get this sorted out, and that she’s going to require that. He has to get things under control, or she’s not going to stick around.’

The pair have been dating since last March, a relationship first revealed by the Daily Mail, but this is the first time she has been thrust into the limelight by one of his many scandals.

In the wake of Woods’ latest crash, a source revealed to People that Nordegren – who was married to the golf legend for six years and shares children Charlie and Sam with him – wants him to prioritize his ‘health’. 

The source told the outlet: ‘The kids are close with Tiger, so of course Elin cares too. She wants him to be well. Both kids are great and love spending time with their dad. 

‘Elin’s concerned that he had another car crash and got arrested,’ they added.

‘His recovery from the crash [in 2021] in California was brutal. [Elin] just wants him to make the best choices for himself. It’s about his health and being there for the kids,’ the source continued. 

Woods had reportedly been banned from driving the US president’s grandchildren by the Secret Service prior to his recent arrest. 

According to PEOPLE, Woods does not wish to hire his own private driver because he ‘doesn’t want anyone to watch over him or know what he is doing.’

A source also told the US publisher that the American is adamant ‘he thinks he is fine to drive’.

‘He is not a social butterfly and prefers to hang around his home with his kids, or hitting balls, or playing video games,’ the source added. ‘He despises public scrutiny.’

Paul Merson says Cole Palmer is being ‘wasted’ by Liam Rosenior on the wing and needs to start in the No.10 role when Chelsea return to Premier League action against Manchester City.

Palmer has been nothing short of a revelation since joining Chelsea from Manchester City for a fee of £40million back in 2023, racking up 53 goals and 32 assists in 122 appearances for the Blues.

The 23-year-old attacker was named the PFA Young Player of the Year on the back of his magnificent debut season at Stamford Bridge before playing a key role last term as the club won the Europa Conference League.

However, Palmer has struggled to have the same sort of impact this season in Chelsea colours, not helped by several injuries problems which have forced him to miss a total of 11 games in the Premier League.

And while Palmer has netted six times since Rosenior took over the reins from Enzo Maresca in early January, fans and pundits have questioned whether the new Chelsea manager could be getting more out of the forward.

In Chelsea’s last three league games, Palmer’s influence has been somewhat limited while playing out on the right flank. Before that, he started on the opposite wing with little success as the side slumped to a 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal.

According to Merson, Palmer needs to return to where he ‘can make things happen’ again to give Chelsea the best possible chance of getting back to winning ways after four straight defeats in all competitions.

‘They’ve got to get back to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, put Palmer in the No.10 and then put Estevao and Pedro Neto on the wings and put Joao Pedro up front,’ Merson, a lifelong fan of Chelsea, said on Sky Sports News.

‘Get Palmer in the middle of the pitch where he can make things happen.

‘At the moment, he’s playing out on the right, he gets the ball and he’s never ever going to run past the full-back. He’s not the quickest in the world.’

After what was an encouraging start to Rosenior’s reign, Chelsea have dropped to sixth in the Premier League table and are at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season.

If the Blues are to turn the situation around, Merson believes Rosenior needs to start playing his best players in their favoured positions and ‘have a go’ when they take to the field against Manchester City.

‘The fans want to see Estevao playing as well,’ the former Arsenal, Aston Villa and England midfielder added.

‘He’s direct, he plays with no fear. I think he’s [Rosenior] got to go back to that and have a go against Manchester City.

‘If he does that, I think they’ve got a chance but if he plays the two holding midfield players and puts Palmer out on the wing, I think Palmer is wasted.’

Merson has not been surprised to see Enzo Fernandez flirting with Real Madrid during the international break, warning the club that more players could follow suit should they miss out on Champions League football.

‘That’s been happening over the last 30 or 40 years, players go away with their country to one of the local papers or magazines in their country and then it gets back to England,’ he explained.

‘They then go, “I didn’t mean to say that!”, but it’s been happening for years and years.

‘If Chelsea don’t get in the Champions League then there’s going to be a problem, players will want to leave.

‘Players want to play in the Champions League, they want to play on the big table, so, for me, these last seven games are so important, starting with Manchester City at home which is a difficult game.’

Given the transfer model that Chelsea have adopted since Todd Boehly’s takeover in 2022, Merson fears the club could be coaxed into selling Palmer in the summer transfer window.

It comes amid widespread reports linking Manchester United with the Manchester City academy product.

‘That’s the model, yeah, and that’s why they buy young players,’ he said.

‘They buy young players to sell them for more money and that will be the model because this team isn’t winning the Premier League.

‘I’m a Chelsea fan and we’re not going to win the Premier League, we’re not set out to win the Premier League over 38 games.

‘On any given Saturday they will beat someone, but they won’t do it over 38 games.

‘For me, they need to change it, but if they get the right money, if they got £120m for Palmer when they bought him for £40m, I’d be shocked if they didn’t sell him.

‘But they need to get in the Champions League and they’ve got to start playing him where he’s comfortable playing. On the right is a waste of time, he needs to play in the No.10 position and he’s as good as anyone around playing there.

‘That would give him a chance of playing there for England as well if he gets back in that position.’

Merson hopes Chelsea are patient with Rosenior and give the 41-year-old the opportunity to steer the club back towards the top of Premier League.

‘It started off alright, it’s just been the last four games [where they have struggled],’ he continued.

‘There were 15 minutes to go against PSG and it’s 2-2… you’re sitting there and you’re thinking that if anyone is going to win it then it could be Chelsea.

‘All of a sudden, they let in three goals, the game is over and they get blown away at home.

‘He needs to get results, the fans are looking and he’s always one defeat away with the fans. He needs to turn it around.

‘They’ve got Port Vale in the FA Cup this weekend and then it’s the big against Manchester City, it’s a massive game.

‘Football changes very quickly. If he can beat Port Vale and beat Manchester City then everything is rosy again.

‘But they’ve got to get this man Cole Palmer on the ball, he’s wasted on the wing, and you’ve got to get Estevao in too.’

Merson went on: ‘You want top managers at Chelsea. Who knows? Liam Rosenior might be, he might be.

‘We have this thing in England, we always go, “Experience, experience”, but how do you get experience? You get experience by losing four games on the trot and then going and beating Port Vale and Manchester City. That’s how you get experience.

‘Here, in this country, we have young managers like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, people like that, they lose a few games and they’re out of a job.

‘I remember many years ago when Teddy Sheringham went to Stevenage, this lad was one of the best football brains I’ve ever been on the pitch with… he goes to Stevenage, it doesn’t work out and he’s never managed since.

‘Sometimes you’ve got to give managers a chance.’

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In the space of a few months, Adam Gemili went from playing for Dagenham and Redbridge academy to becoming World Junior 100m champion and stepping onto the start line at the London 2012 Olympics.

Gemili had left Chelsea’s academy at 15 after training alongside the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and three years later was racing against Jamaican legends Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake at the Olympics.

Now, as the Londoner announces his retirement from athletics, he will be sharing his wisdom with the current Chelsea youngsters as he joins the Premier League club part-time as a speed coach.

“I dabbled a little bit in athletics, but I didn’t really try properly, and I remember just suddenly getting into the sport in training, and I just picked it up so quickly,” Gemili said.

“I was winning races and next thing I know, six months later, it’s a home Olympics and I’m lining up for GB thinking ‘what am I doing here?’

“Honestly, it the most imposter syndrome I’ve ever had, I was thinking ‘how does this happen to me?’

“Six months prior, no one had ever asked for my autograph or asked for a picture with me and now all of a sudden I’m at a home Olympics.

“Everyone sort of knew who I was, I was the young sprinter on the block, it was a really crazy time, not just for myself, for my family as well.

“I’d seen Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake on the TV, then suddenly, I’m in the call room, looking across and Usain’s sitting there.

“I remember thinking to myself ‘lock in, come on, focus’ – I was fangirling.

“I was in the Olympic Village in London walking around and Serena Williams walked in front of me and I was like ‘what’s happening? I was playing at Dagenham five, six months ago’. I didn’t really feel like I belonged.”

Now as Gemili retires with a plentiful collection of medals, including a 4x100m gold from the London World Championships in 2017 and four European golds, he returns to where it all started to help the next generation at Chelsea.

“I’m just a normal guy from Dartford, we didn’t grow up with a lot,” Gemili added. “We just worked hard and I committed to my sport.

“I just hope one or two of them [the academy players] take some inspiration from that and say ‘you know what, it doesn’t matter if I can’t do it in this way, I’ll always find a way to be successful’.

“It doesn’t matter what you do. My story is my own and I hope a lot of these guys can create their own stories.

“I really hope they will go on and become super famous, rich, successful footballers that I can ring up and say ‘oh, I need some tickets for this game’, but the reality is it might not happen.

“But they might then be able to go ‘Adam used to do that and then he became a professional athlete in another sport, maybe I can do that’.

“These kids are so talented, they’re going to be talented no matter what they do – these 12, 13, 14-year-olds, they are just a different breed.

“It’s more brutal to be amongst [academy football] now, social media wasn’t a thing when I was growing up and now everything you do is online.

“Everyone can judge everyone, so the pressure, the performance, you’ve got to be on it.”

Through his background in football and athletics, Gemili can provide a unique perspective on improving your speed and emphasises that while all sports are different, the key is to learn was ‘fast’ feels like.

He’ll be setting up his own ‘academy’ to help sprinters, footballers, and young athletes from other sports learn how they can optimise their speed.

“Knowledge is power and if I’m able to teach these kids everything that I know, I can die happy,” he added.

“I hope even just one or two of them can feel some sort of inspiration from my story because football is very tough sport – like, I never planned to become an athlete.

“For a lot of these guys they won’t make it to the top level, they won’t make it to the top of the Premier League.

“But if I can teach them the skills that I got, one or two of them might even come into athletics, you never you never really know.”

Home World Championships ‘inspire a nation’

The bidding process for the 2029 World Athletics Championships is ongoing, but British Athletics’ bid has been hit by reports West Ham are yet to agree to the London Stadium’s use.

Gemili said the impact of a home championships cannot be missed, as he reflected back on his experience competing in the stadium in 2012 and at the 2017 World Championships.

“It gives athletes a great opportunity, but also it inspires a city, inspires a nation,” he said.

“Who knows in 10 or 15 years, that moment might make the future because there would definitely have been people in that 2017 stadium that were inspired by performances there that are now on British teams.

“I really hope they can come to an agreement, because sport should be celebrated and – football, athletics – there’s so much joy and brilliance that it brings to people.

“It brings such community in it, and especially London, it brings such a city together when especially over the last couple of years, it’s felt quite divided.”

John Higgins is in Manchester to defend his Tour Championship title this week, taking on a player he has been battling it out with for 36 years.

The Wizard of Wishaw brilliantly won the event last year, beating Mark Selby in the final and he is back to face Mark Williams in his opener this time round.

The Scot is not just wielding his cue, but also a microphone as he is on commentary and punditry duty for Channel 5, but defending his title is priority number one.

Just the top 12 on the one-year rankings make it to the Tour Championship, which Higgins says is a key aim at the start of any season.

‘I think if somebody says to you at the start of every season that you’ll be competing in the Tour Championship, it means it’s a good season,’ Higgins told Metro. ‘That’s your aim and I’d have bitten your hand off, really.

‘It would have been pretty poor coming down, commentating on it and speaking about it and you’re not in the event to defend your title.

‘I can’t wait to get out there and obviously playing your old nemesis, Mark Williams. It can’t be any bigger or better than playing Mark.’

Two of the three legendary members of the Class of 92 first met professionally in 1994, but their rivalry goes back even further.

Asked for the first time he met Williams, Higgins said: ‘I’m sure it must have been the Home Internationals at Prestatyn in 1990, I was 15. That was the first time I’d met any players from out of Scotland.’

35 years on from that first meeting, the pair met in the 2025 World Championship quarter-final, which Williams dramatically won 13-12 on the final black.

Higgins feels he ‘owes him one’ for that painful defeat, but it is now a friendly rivalry that has lost the edge it once had.

‘I think it’s a lot better than it was,’ the Scot said of his relationship with the Welshman. ‘It’s only natural as well, I think, when you see the boys nowadays, the likes of Judd [Trump] and Kyren [Wilson], you just get a feeling that they really feel as if they’re rivals and they want to keep their distance from each other. It was probably exactly the same [for us].

‘Back in the day when me, Mark and Ronnie were playing, you were vying against each other for the same titles. As well it’s been well-documented when I’d left the management stable with Ian Doyle and Mark was still under that banner, there was a bit of rivalry there.

‘But nowadays you’re basically smiling walking into these events, knowing that you’re still playing against these guys and still competing. You’ve got to give yourself a pat in the back that you’re still doing it.

‘Listen, we’re dads now, we’re nearly grandads. I think everybody’s got a different outlook on life.’

Higgins felt his meeting with Williams in Sheffield last year was likely their last at the Crucible, but the odds of there being another have been improved this week after the announcement that the World Championship is set to stay at the venue – with a significant revamp – until 2045.

The four-time world champion was thrilled with the news and admits he was stunned by it, feeling a departure from the Crucible was likely when the previous contract was due to end in 2027.

‘I couldn’t believe it,’ he said. ‘I could not believe it how they got it over the line, especially for the amount of years. Incredible, incredible news.

‘I really thought it was going to be moving, I just didn’t think the Crucible was going to be be big enough for the event. I think it’s great news that it’s going to get upgraded because it certainly needs that.

‘I think obviously you don’t want to lose the uniqueness of the playing arena, which makes the Worlds that special. But behind the scenes it probably hasn’t moved with the times. Now it’s going to get the upgrade and it brings it up to the present day, and it should be a great, great venue going forward.’

Before the Crucible comes Manchester Central and Higgins will be in the commentary box, hoping that the ‘first day of school’ nerves of his Players Championship debut last month will have eased.

‘In the commentary box I really felt the nerves there,’ he said. ‘Dave [Hendon] was great with me, but that was like being back on the first day of school.

‘In the studio it felt okay because obviously you go into the studio after matches anyway and you’ve got somebody like Katie [Shanahan], who I think is really good, so it was all good. I really enjoyed it.

Tour Championship draw and schedule

Monday March 30

1pm
Barry Hawkins vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Judd trump vs Mark Allen

7pm
Judd Trump vs Mark Allen
Wu Yize vs Chris Wakelin

Tuesday March 31

1pm
Mark Williams vs John Higgins
Barry Hawkins vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

7pm
Mark Williams vs John Higgins
Wu Yize vs Chris Wakelin

Wednesday April 1

1pm
Neil Robertson vs Hawkins/Un-Nooh
Shaun Murphy vs Trump/Allen

7pm
Shaun Murphy vs Trump/Allen
Zhao Xintong vs Wu/Wakelin

Thursday April 2

1pm
Neil Robertson vs Hawkins/Un-Nooh
Mark Selby vs Williams/Higgins

7pm
Mark Selby vs Williams/Higgins
Zhao Xintong vs Wu/Wakelin

‘I wasn’t really wanting to talk too much on commentary. But then again, when you listen to the other commentators, they maybe speak a little bit more, so then you think to yourself, am I speaking enough? So, I think it’s just trying to get a balance.

‘I don’t go on any social media, so I don’t know how well I would have been received with it, which is maybe a good thing in a way. So I’m only really going by listening to my wife or my brothers. They thought I’d done okay. So I don’t really know what the wider world’s thinking about it.’

The Wizard of Wishaw will be working on his words of wisdom when the Tour Championship kicks off on Monday afternoon, with his latest clash with his old rival coming up on Tuesday.

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Football Newsletter – In The Mixer

Punchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro’s football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.

Tottenham are contemplating turning to a club legend to save them from relegation even though he hasn’t coached for two decades.

The crisis-ridden north London club have begun their search for a fourth coach in less than a year following the decision on Sunday to part company withIgor Tudor.

Spurs made the surprise decision to turn to the Croatian after Thomas Frank was dismissed on February 11.

Tudor had never managed in the Premier League, but had experience of sparking an upturn in form after mid-season arrivals and yet suffered five defeats from seven games, including four in a row at the start of his reign.

A catastrophic 3-0 home defeat against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest prior to the international left Spurs just one point above the drop zone which effectively rendered Tudor’s position untenable.

Indeed, should West Ham beat Wolves at home on Friday evening, Spurs will face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light 24 hours later firmly in the bottom three and staring an unthinkable relegation full in the face.

The likes of Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange now face arguably the biggest decision in Tottenham’s modern history and one that will likely define whether or not they face the ultimate ignominy of dropping into the Championship.

According to the Daily Mail, Spurs are contemplating a variety of different options and are giving thought to turning to Glenn Hoddle, even though he hasn’t held a senior management position since he was the Molineux helm back in 2006, but did have a brief stint as part of Harry Redknapp’s coaching team at QPR.

Speaking earlier this month, arguably Tottenham’s greatest ever player made clear he was willing to help out as doubts over Tudor’s credentials quickly began to emerge.

Asked if he would be willing to step up if Tudor was axed, Hoddle told Could It Be Magic, the FA Cup podcast sponsored by Carling: ‘I think it would actually. Particularly with Tottenham, as that’s my club.

‘I’ve supported them since I was eight years of age. So they were a massive part of my life.’

Hoddle spent two-and-a-half years in charge of Spurs between 2001 and 2003.

He added: ‘I managed them probably at the wrong time, I’ve got to say. Let’s put it that way. Politically and financially, it wasn’t money there. Certainly, it wasn’t what they told me I was going into didn’t succumb.

‘But I think something like that, I would have done.’

Assistant Bruno Saltor will lead training for the players not away on international duty at the moment, with the club aiming to appoint a new head coach in the coming days, in time for the full squad being back together and a crucial 10-day preparation period ahead of the April 12 fixture at Sunderland.

Former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and ex-Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche are among the bookmakers’ favourites to take over, or they could turn to Ryan Mason, boyhood Spurs fan and player who has twice been caretaker before.

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust responded to the news of Tudor’s departure by urging the club to now make a “wise choice” regarding his replacement.

Its post on X read: ‘With thanks to Igor and his team for their efforts, and wishing him and his family time to come to terms with their loss.

‘In a season of bad calls, let’s hope we now see a wise choice for the remainder of the campaign.

‘Someone who understands the club and is up to the task in front of them: retaining our Premier League status. Someone we can all be proud of and who can bring some much needed success and enjoyment to our long suffering fanbase.’

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Tottenham are in search of their third manager of the season after interim boss Igor Tudor left the club on Sunday.

The Croatian lasted just 44 days and seven matches in charge of Spurs, in what has been a disastrous stint in north London.

Tudor won just one of his seven games, which came in the second leg of a Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid, which Tottenham lost on aggregate.

His six Premier League matches at the helm produced one draw and five defeats, most recently a 3-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest last weekend.

After 31 games of the top flight season, Spurs are 17th and just one point above the drop zone, with West Ham a place below them.

The possibility of being relegated from the Premier League for the first time is very real and a third boss of the season will try to avoid that, after Thomas Frank and Tudor’s reigns left them in the mire.

With seven games to go, who will ride to the rescue and try to keep Spurs afloat?

The betting market is for the next permanent Tottenham manager, so bookmakers will not pay out on anyone the club appoints as an interim or caretaker for the final few games of the season only.

It may be that Spurs are forced to bring in a permanent manager earlier than planned, though, to get in the calibre of manager they want now.

The joint favourites to be the next permanent Tottenham boss are Roberto De Zerbi and Sean Dyche.

Both are out of work, with De Zerbi leaving Marseille in February and Dyche axed by Nottingham Forest in the same month.

Dyche was asked if he was in talks with Spurs earlier this week, saying on TalkSPORT: ‘Ah, it’s brilliant, honestly. I was in the pub just up the way near my place, I’ve got down here and this guy goes: “Ah, you’re meant to be in talks with Spurs tonight?” And I say: “I’m sat next to you having a pint of Guinness, so it’s unlikely – unless you work for Spurs!”

‘I’m there in The Seven Stars pub having a pint of Guinness, so I said: “It’s highly unlikely”. No, I’m not [in talks].’

Fulham manager Marco Silva is thought to be in contention, as is former Monaco boss Adi Hutter, who left the Ligue 1 side in October last year.

Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino had been favourite to return and be the next permanent manager, but that is now far less likely.

Tottenham may now move to make an appointment sooner than waiting for Pochettino to be available after the World Cup, where he will manager USA.

A club statement on Tudor’s exit on Sunday read: ‘We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for Head Coach Igor Tudor to leave the Club with immediate effect.

‘Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of Goalkeeping Coach and Physical Coach. We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly.

‘We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time.

‘An update on a new Head Coach will be provided in due course.’

If Spurs go down the path of another interim manager, a string of former players and managers of the club have been linked, including Harry Redknapp, Tim Sherwood, Robbie Keane and Ryan Mason.

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Piero Hincapie is the latest Arsenal star to return early from international duty, leaving the Ecuador squad after medical tests.

The defender started Ecuador’s friendly against Morocco on Friday, playing 72 minutes before being replaced during the match in Madrid.

It has since been confirmed that he, along with his international teammate Denil Castillo, underwent tests and have withdrawn from the squad ahead of Ecuador’s next fixture against Netherlands on Tuesday.

The nature of Hincapie’s injury was not disclosed, but he will immediately return to Arsenal where he will begin his recovery.

A statement from the Ecuadorian Football Federation read: ‘The Ecuadorian Football Federation reports that players Piero Hincapie and Denil Castillo underwent medical and imaging tests and, based on the evaluation, both have been withdrawn from the squad.

‘The results were immediately sent to their clubs, where they will begin their respective recovery processes.

‘The national team’s medical staff will monitor their progress.’

The 24-year-old has been a regular in Mikel Arteta’s first team this season, making 21 Premier League appearances and 31 in all competitions, scoring one goal.

With a busy schedule to come over the rest of the season in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, Arteta will be keen to have the Ecuadorian back fit as soon as possible.

Hincapie’s early return to London is the latest headache on a stressful international break for the Gunners in terms of their players’ fitness.

Noni Madueke was substituted in the first half of England’s draw with Uruguay at Wembley, with concern over the severity of the knee injury he has suffered.

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have also left the England camp and return to Arsenal ‘for medical assessment,’ so will not feature against Japan on Tuesday.

Speaking of Madueke’s injury, England boss Thomas Tuchel said: ‘I’m worried, of course, because I think he was a difference-maker today.

‘He started well, he was full of energy, he was ready to go.’

‘And I think against a team like Uruguay, who relies on one-against-ones, to isolate them there and to go in one-against-ones from every minute out there, the spaces open up and he could have been a key player for us, which he is.

‘Very sad and upset and hopefully it’s not a big injury.’

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By JONATHAN MCEVOY, SPORTS WRITER AND DAILY MAIL’S MOTOR RACING WRITER

Published: 02:36 EDT, 29 March 2026 | Updated: 05:53 EDT, 29 March 2026