Contenders to replace Igor Tudor at Spurs

Tottenham are again looking for a manager to save them from relegation after the departure of Igor Tudor.

The Spurs announced on Sunday that Tudor has left the club by mutual consent after 44 days in charge. Tudor took just one point from their five Premier League matches at the helm.

He leaves Tottenham a point above the relegation zone with seven games to go. They are winless in a Premier League game this calendar year and with West Ham playing bottom club Wolves on Friday, April 10 in the next round of fixtures, Spurs could be in the relegation zone by the time they kick off Sunderland two days later.

Tottenham are expected to move quickly to appoint the man who will be in the gym for this game, and here 101GreatGoals assesses the potential candidates.

Sean Dyche

Previous clubs: Watford, Burnley, Everton, Nottingham Forest

Discher is reportedly the favorite if Tottenham fail to convince Roberto De Zerbi to take over before the end of the season.

The 54-year-old has built a reputation as a specialist in retaining Premier League clubs. However, his sacking from his role at Everton last year and his failure to get Nottingham Forest out of danger this season have prevented that.

Dyche is expected to improve Tottenham’s woefully depleted defence. The question is whether he can make the Spurs fire at the other end. Tottenham, for all their flaws, boast an abundance of creative attacking talent, but Dyche’s style is unlikely to maximize their gifts.

Forest scored 20 goals in their league-leading 18 games this season, netting 58 in 38 as they finished seventh in 2024-25.

Roberto Dezerbi

Previous clubs: Darfo Boario, Foggia, Palermo, Benevento, Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk, Brighton & Hove Albion, Marseille

A fiery character who embraces a high-octane style of play, De Zerby would be considered ideal for the job if appointed before the start of the new season.

While De Zerbi could give Tottenham an initial emotional lift, it is debatable whether his personality is the right one for Spurs’ desperate situation.

De Zerby left Brighton following a disagreement over the club’s recruitment policy and it was no surprise that after a promising start the Italian did not see out his three-year contract at Marseille. If De Zerbi fails to produce an immediate uptick in results then things could quickly turn from bad to worse for Spurs.

Addie Hutter

Previous clubs: Red Bull Salzburg Juniors, Rheindorf Altach, SV Grodig, Red Bull Salzburg, Young Boys, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Monaco

The Austrian has plenty of experience but, as was the case with Tudor before his brief spell with Spurs, has never quite hit the ground running in English football.

However, he has experience of guiding a team away from trouble, having done so successfully with Gladbach in 2021-22.

Perhaps too much is being put into knowing the Premier League when it comes to managerial appointments, but asking Hutter to enter the fray at this point would be a huge ownership risk with no credit in the bank with Tottenham’s fanbase.

Ryan Mason

Previous clubs: Tottenham (temporary x2), West Bromwich Albion

Mason has twice taken over as interim Spurs boss in his managerial career, though never in such dire circumstances.

He won six of his 13 games in charge during those spells, drawing one, but his short time in charge of West Brom did little to improve his reputation.

Appointed last June, Mason was sacked in January with the Baggies 18th in the Championship. He won just nine of his 27 games in charge at The Hawthorns.

Still, it could be argued that Mason qualifies as someone who knows Tottenham inside out and can successfully motivate a group of players who desperately need help, although there are plenty of other names who tick those boxes too.

A club legend

It is probably oversimplifying what it takes to survive a relegation battle to suggest that Spurs would be best served by turning to a club legend around whom fans can rally and who can give the team an emotional boost. Alan Shearer’s experience with Newcastle United in 2009, with a team that compares favorably with this Tottenham team, serves as compelling evidence to the contrary.

Yet it’s a school of thought that’s gaining more and more credence as Tottenham sink deeper into the mire, and it’s one the club seem willing to subscribe to.

Indeed, reports since Tudor’s departure have claimed that Tottenham have discussed a number of candidates for the club’s legends.

Robbie Keane, Chris Hughton and Harry Redknapp are said to be among the names that have emerged in internal talks, along with Mason, Ben Davies, Glenn Hoddle and Tim Sherwood.

Keane is thriving in his role at Ferencvaros but would certainly prefer a long-term job as he takes the next step in his career. While saving either Redknapp or Hoddle from Tottenham would make for a fairytale ending to both their footballing careers, it’s worth considering how long they’ve been out.

Redknapp struggled after a short spell with Birmingham City in 2017. He saved them from relegation from the Championship at the end of 2016-17, but was soon sacked after a poor start to the following campaign.

Hoddle’s last job was with Wolves two decades ago. The former England manager left Molineux in 2006 after failing to guide them to promotion from the Championship.

Sherwood has made no secret of his desire for a second term as Tottenham manager but has failed since his side Swindon Town were relegated to League Two in 2017.

Hughton is a more low-key personality and while his star has faded in recent years, the former Newcastle boss has experience of getting teams into the Premier League and ensuring they survive next season, having done so with Norwich City and Brighton. He was sacked by Newcastle in 2010 with the Magpies in 11th place in the Premier League following promotion the previous season.

After all, at this point Tottenham will be betting no matter who they sign. The key is that it is well calculated. Given everything that has happened up until this point, Spurs fans would be forgiven for not having much faith that the club will do well.