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.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Starmer’s finally rediscovered his backbone – to bottle it now would be disastrous

MORE: Tottenham slammed for signing £35m former Chelsea star ahead of Manchester United

MORE: Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand sends message to Roberto De Zerbi over Tottenham job offer

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.’

Next permanent Tottenham manager odds

Roberto De Zerbi 6/4
Sean Dyche 6/4
Marco Silva 7/2
Adi Hutter 6/1
Mauricio Pochettino 10/1
Ryan Mason 12/1
Robbie Keane 14/1
Harry Redknapp 20/1

Marco Rose 33/1
Scott Parker 33/1
Andoni Iraola 33/1
Edin Terzic 33/1
Jens Berthel Askou 33/1
Kieran McKenna 33/1
Michael Carrick 33/1
Oliver Glasner 33/1

Diego Simeone 33/1
Eddie Howe 33/1
Enzo Maresca 33/1
Francesco Farioli 33/1
Gareth Southgate 33/1
Fabian Hurzeler 33/1
Julian Nagelsmann 33/1
Kjetil Knutsen 33/1
Ruben Amorim 33/1
Xabi Alonso 33/1
Xavi Hernandez 33/1
Brendan Rodgers 33/1
Philippe Clement 33/1
Frank Lampard 33/1

Odds courtesy of BetVictor

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.’

MORE: Manchester United told to sign £43m Tottenham star to reach ‘the next level’

MORE: Tottenham manager makes bold Arsenal claim after WSL derby defeat

MORE: Liverpool in talks for £52m Tottenham defender as Chelsea join transfer race

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.

Next permanent Tottenham manager odds

Roberto De Zerbi 6/4
Sean Dyche 6/4
Marco Silva 7/2
Adi Hutter 6/1
Mauricio Pochettino 10/1
Ryan Mason 12/1
Robbie Keane 14/1
Harry Redknapp 20/1

Marco Rose 33/1
Scott Parker 33/1
Andoni Iraola 33/1
Edin Terzic 33/1
Jens Berthel Askou 33/1
Kieran McKenna 33/1
Michael Carrick 33/1
Oliver Glasner 33/1

Diego Simeone 33/1
Eddie Howe 33/1
Enzo Maresca 33/1
Francesco Farioli 33/1
Gareth Southgate 33/1
Fabian Hurzeler 33/1
Julian Nagelsmann 33/1
Kjetil Knutsen 33/1
Ruben Amorim 33/1
Xabi Alonso 33/1
Xavi Hernandez 33/1
Brendan Rodgers 33/1
Philippe Clement 33/1
Frank Lampard 33/1

Odds courtesy of BetVictor

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.

MORE: Manchester United told to sign £43m Tottenham star to reach ‘the next level’

MORE: Tottenham manager makes bold Arsenal claim after WSL derby defeat

MORE: Alan Shearer slams Chelsea over ‘baffling’ transfer decision with £28m deal questioned

Manchester United are considering a move for Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, according to reports in Spain.

The Argentina international appears on course to leave Spurs this summer after taking aim at the club’s hierarchy earlier this season.

Atletico Madrid made an attempt to sign Romero last year but refused to pay Spurs’ €55 million (£47m) asking price.

According to Marca, Atletico have retained their interest ahead of the summer transfer window and are considering a new move.

The report claims that Real Madrid are also considering a deal for Romero as they are looking to sign a new central defender, but Manchester United’s interest in the 27-year-old also represents a ‘major problem’ for Atletico.

Romero is said to have a special clause in his contract with Spurs which would allow him to join Atletico, Real Madrid or Barcelona this summer if a €60m (£51.9m) bid is submitted.

Speaking before Atletico knocked Spurs out of the Champions League this month, Diego Simeone made it clear that he was a huge admirer of the Tottenham captain.

‘I speak from a point of view as an Argentina fan. I admire his personality, his character, his defensive work and his football ability on the ball,’ Simeone said.

‘As a fan of Argentina, I have seen him play more games for the national team than I have for Spurs, but I’m a big fan of him, for sure.’

When asked about his future after Spurs’ Champions League exit, Romero said: ‘The truth is that I’m focused on the situation we’re in.

‘I have a lot of respect and affection for the club and I want to finish the season in the best way possible. We’ll see later but the most important thing now is to recover energy.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Man City midfielder Rodri talks up Real Madrid transfer

MORE: Harry Maguire makes Ruben Amorim ‘next club’ prediction after Manchester United exit

MORE: Liverpool want £50m Arsenal target to replace Mohamed Salah

A dejected Igor Tudor accepted he had made the ‘wrong decision’ to start Antonin Kinsky following the goalkeeper’s 17-minute horror show in Tottenham’s 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid.

Spurs endured a nightmarish start to Tuesday’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg as Kinsky’s botched pass out from the back gifted Atleti possession for Marcos Llorente’s sixth-minute opener in the Spanish capital.

Things soon went from bad to worse for the visitors as a calamitous slip from Micky van de Van allowed Antoine Griezmann to hare through on goal and double the hosts’ advantage.

Just moments later, Diego Simeone’s men had a third and Kinsky was once again the man at fault having been selected in place of Guglielmo Vicario for the high-pressure tie.

There was a horrible feeling of deja vu as Kinsky somehow kicked the ball into his standing leg and into the path of Julian Alvarez, who passed into an empty net to pile yet more misery on Tudor’s men.

The Spurs boss wasted little time in sending on Vicario in place of Kinsky, with the latter appearing shellshocked as he made his way off the field at a raucous Metropolitano Stadium.

Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke both struck to make the scoreline look a little less ugly from Tottenham’s perspective, but Atleti will go into the second leg as the overwhelming favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.

The result meant Tudor became the first Tottenham manager in history to lose their first four matches in charge of the club. It is also the first time ever that the north London outfit have lost six games in succession.

Asked if he had made an incorrect call in starting Kinsky, Tudor told TNT Sports: ‘After seeing what happened, for sure it was the wrong decision.

‘But it was, for me, the right decision to do, thinking before, because the team changed competition and it was, in the moment, right to do.

‘Unfortunately, what happened happened. I’ve never changed my goalkeeper after 14 minutes. It’s not easy, it happened.’

Tudor has received widespread criticism for refusing to even acknowledge or putting an arm around Kinsky as the 22-year-old Czech was removed just 17 minutes into the match.

‘No, it’s moments like this we don’t need to comment.It’s not a moment to speak too much,’ Tudor replied when asked about his reaction.

‘Strange game, very strange game. We gave them three goals afterwards we started good.

‘But then problems killed us in three situations. Very, very, very strange so it took our confidence.

‘Then we start, we made opportunities to make it 4-2 and then we conceded the goal for 5-2.’

The Croatian issued an apology to Tottenham’s fans both inside the stadium and those watching on from home, saying ‘it looks like everything is going against’ his side.

‘We apologise to the fans today, also to everyone,’ Tudor went on.

‘It was a difficult moment. Everything looks like going wrong, more mistakes, everything like this. Unbelievable.

‘Even the situation at the end with two players [clashing heads], it looks like everything is going against us.’

Despite shipping a total of 14 goals in his four opening matches, Tudor remains hopeful of turning the situation around domestically – with Spurs hovering just one point above the relegation zone.

Asked if he was still confident about transforming Spurs’ fortunes, he replied: ‘I need to have, I need to keep working.

‘As I said, not speaking too much, stay focussed on things we can do.

‘And I said before, unbelievable, difficult to explain. It’s the first time I see this, all the things, in my career of 15 years.

‘What can I tell you? My focus is on the problems and the players also so we need to stay positive.’

Pressed on whether he expected to be given more time by Spurs bosses, Tudor responded: ‘It’s not about me, it’s not for me to explain too much.

‘We need to stay calm and do less talking.

‘Now is not the moment to give big explanations. We need to stay calm and continue.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Tottenham next manager odds after Spurs are hammered by Atletico Madrid in Champions League

MORE: Steve McManaman singles out Liverpool star for criticism after Galatasaray defeat

MORE: Arsenal receive triple injury boost ahead of Bayer Leverkusen Champions League tie

By CIARAN FOREMAN, SPORTS REPORTER and JAMES SHARPE and CHRIS WHEELER, NORTHERN SPORTS WRITER and NATHAN SALT – FOOTBALL REPORTER and MATT BARLOW, FOOTBALL WRITER

Updated: 09:30 EST, 1 March 2026

By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER

Updated: 05:15 EST, 27 February 2026

Victor Osimhen admits he wants Galatasaray to avoid Liverpool in Friday’s Champions League draw.

Galatasaray needed extra time to eliminate Juventus in their Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday night as the Serie A club scored three goals without reply to make it 5-5 on aggregate.

Osimhen then found the net in extra time to put Galatasaray in front on aggregate before Baris Alper Yilmaz struck to seal the tie for the Turkish champions.

Galatasaray will now play either Liverpool or Tottenham in the Champions League last-16, with the raw due to take place at 11am on Friday morning.

Galatasaray have already beaten Liverpool in the Champions League league phase this season as Osimhen’s first-half penalty sealed a 1-0 win against Arne Slot’s side at home in September.

Asked if he would prefer to face Liverpool or Tottenham in the Champions League last-16, Osimhen told CBS Sports: ‘I mean to be honest with you, meeting Liverpool now is going to be like some sort of revenge.

‘Anyone we meet now… I wouldn’t say much but I would like to escape Liverpool.

‘But if they come, yeah, we’re going to dig it out but it’s not going to be easy.

Who can the Premier League teams play in the Champions League last-16?

Arsenal will play either Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta

Chelsea will play either Newcastle United or PSG

Liverpool will play either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray

Man City will play either Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid

Tottenham will play either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray

Newcastle United will play either Chelsea or Barcelona

‘I mean this is Champions League, no team is easy, we can see how flying Bodo/Glimt are really doing in this tournament.

‘If you want to win you also have to play the big dogs and make a statement for yourself.

‘We’ve met Liverpool but we haven’t played at Anfield. If we meet them it’s going to be an amazing game. I think we’re up to the task, it’s not going to be easy, of course, but we have fight in us.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Manchester United legend warns Michael Carrick he faces ‘conundrum’ this weekend

MORE: Luis Enrique reacts to PSG’s potential Chelsea tie in Champions League draw

MORE: John Terry makes wild injury claim about his entire Chelsea career

Jamie Redknapp accused Mikel Arteta of ‘mismanaging’ Eberechi Eze before he played a starring role in Arsenal’s north London derby win over Tottenham.

Eze scored a hat-trick in the first north London derby of the season and produced another impressive performance in Sunday’s 4-1 win at Spurs.

The former Crystal Palace attacker, who was close to joining Tottenham last summer, gave Arsenal the lead midway through the first half with a superb finish.

Spurs went up the other end and equalised through Randal Kolo Muani but Arsenal quickly reasserted their dominance over their north London rivals.

Viktor Gyokeres restored Arsenal’s lead straight after half-time with a thumping strike before Eze added a third on the hour mark.

Gyokeres rounded off an impressive derby win over Tottenham with his second and Arsenal’s fourth as the Gunners restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Five of Eze’s six league goals for Arsenal have come against Spurs and Redknapp described his performance as ‘wonderful’.

Eze’s underwhelming form was once again a talking point before the north London derby and Redknapp believes Arteta ‘mismanaged’ his £67.5m summer signing earlier in the season.

‘Eberechi Eze made a mistake against Aston Villa at one point and came out of the team a bit after that,’ Redknapp said before Sunday’s derby.

‘But I do think the manager has mismanaged him. He’s a player who needs confidence, we saw that at Crystal Palace where he was great.’

Speaking after Arsenal’s derby win, Redknapp added on Sky Sports: ‘They were magnificent today. You just felt there was control about this Arsenal side.

‘It was a complete mismatch. They were in different leagues, Arsenal were so classy. They were so much better than Tottenham, it was like two different leagues.

‘If Tottenham aren’t careful, they might be in a different league. They cannot keep performing like this.

‘Gyokeres led the line brilliantly, Eze was wonderful. It was a brilliant performance. Arsenal were fantastic, far too good for Tottenham.’

Eze was delighted with both his and Arsenal’s performance against Tottenham and said the Gunners ‘dominated’ their north London rivals.

‘We played with dominance today,’ Eze said. ‘We played with confidence and just the connection that we had on the pitch.

‘I think it was a special performance from us and something that we can continue to build on and something to work towards our goals.

‘We know what these types of games are. We know the energy that the fans are bringing and how we need to be emotionally ready for the games as well.

‘I think we’ve done so well with that and we took advantage of that for sure. These games are all about momentum and being in the moment.

‘I’m just thankful to God for the opportunities that we took today. We worked so hard, we gave everything and when we perform like this it motivates us.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Gabriel brutally mocks Tottenham star after Arsenal derby win

MORE: Mikel Arteta reveals he ‘upset’ Arsenal star before Tottenham victory

MORE: Jamie Redknapp makes Arsenal title prediction and sends huge warning to Tottenham

Comments


Add as preferred source

Football Newsletter – In The Mixer

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