Tottenham Hotspur are back to the drawing board as Thomas Frank has been sacked after their 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United saw them slip to 16th in the Premier League standings.
Frank’s tumultuous eight-months in charge of the club drew to a sad climax despite Spurs finishing fourth in the UEFA Champions League group phase as they simply failed to produce the goods consistently domestically.
The former Brentford boss secured just 13 wins from 38 games, drawing ten and losing a staggering 15 times across all competitions.
Spurs decided to sack Ange Postecoglou despite their UEFA Europa League success last season, with Frank arriving at the club after his fantastic work with Brentford.
And now, they are back to square one again as problems continue to persist on and off the pitch.
Striver Football looks at seven names who could be considered by the club’s hierarchy to oversee a new era at the club, with one familiar face linked with a return to North London.
Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino is arguably Tottenham’s most successful manager of the modern era despite not winning a trophy at the club.
Under the Argentine, Spurs played an eye-catching brand of football and had some of the most exciting players on the planet, with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Hugo Lloris playing starring roles, among others.
They were consistently finishing in the Champions League places and even came close to winning European football’s biggest club honour before losing to Liverpool in the final in 2019.
A few months after their near miss in Madrid, Pochettino was relieved of his duties after a poor start to the 2019-20 Premier League campaign, which saw Jose Mourinho replace him in the dugout.
Since then, it’s safe to say things have gone south for all parties involved. While Tottenham have flattered to deceive in the Premier League – with a handful of managers coming and going – Pochettino himself hasn’t found a permanent home as a manager.
Currently at the helm of the United States, the Argentine will oversee the reigns as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, after the tournament, he could re-evaluate his future, with talkSPORT confirming that he would be interested in an emotional return to the club he served so well between 2014 and 2019.
Whether or not the move comes to fruition remains to be seen as Tottenham need someone at the dugout immediately to see off the season and prevent them from being dragged into a relegation dog fight.
However, if Spurs decide Pochettino is their man, they could appoint someone tried and tested between now and the end of the season and bring the Argentine back in the summer.
Roberto de Zerbi
The timing of Frank’s dismissal – although not surprising – bodes well for Tottenham if they want to hire Roberto de Zerbi.
According to Fabrice Hawkins as relayed by Fabrizio Romano, the mercurial Italian is set to part ways with Marseille by mutual consent after a turbulent spell saw them lose ground in the Ligue 1 title race and also get knocked out of the Champions League.
TalkSPORT say De Zerbi has keen admirers in the Tottenham hierarchy and he certainly isn’t a stranger to Premier League football, having successfully managed Brighton & Hove Albion between 2022 and 2024 before moving to France.
By all accounts, the 46-year-old isn’t the easiest person to deal with and doesn’t tend to stay at a club for the long haul, which is evidenced by the fact that he has managed eight clubs across four different countries in his young managerial career so far.
That said, De Zerbi is spoken of in high regard in footballing circles, with his tactical mind, attention to detail and ability to develop young players all factors that Tottenham could do with at the moment.
A handful of big clubs in Europe could be in the managerial market in the summer – like Manchester United and maybe even Liverpool if things go south for Arne Slot – so Spurs need to move quickly if they want the Italian at the helm.
Premier League solutions
After Postecoglou’s dismissal, Tottenham looked within the Premier League to fill his void and Frank quickly emerged as the leading candidate after his work with Brentford.
It didn’t quite work out for them, but you can’t fault the strategy as they wanted someone who has been there and done it in England’s top-flight.
If they decide to adopt the same methods, the likes of Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva could emerge as candidates to succeed Frank, owing to their work with Bournemouth and Fulham, respectively.
Iraola has earned praise for his free-flowing brand of attacking football at the Vitality Stadium, taking players like Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Antoine Semenyo to the next level, among others.
Silva, on the other hand, has been at Fulham since 2021. When he took over the reigns at Craven Cottage, they were languishing in the Championship but secured an immediate return to the top-flight under his leadership as he quickly stamped his authority at the club.
Fulham finished 11th in the Premier League with 54 points last season, their highest-ever in the top-flight in the modern era, while he also guided the cup to a Carabao Cup semi-final in 2024 before losing out to eventual winners Liverpool.
He has turned down big-money offers from Saudi Arabia to remain in the Premier League, but with his contract set to expire in the summer, Silva might finally decide to move on if the right club makes him an offer he can’t refuse.
Super Frank Lampard, anyone?
Frank Lampard could emerge as a wildcard shout as he continues to earn rave reviews for his work with Coventry City in the Championship.
The Sky Blues haven’t tasted Premier League football since 2001 but are well in line to secure automatic promotion this time around as they find themselves second in the table, two points behind leaders Middlesbrough.
The Englishman, however, is still a young coach learning his trade despite his exploits with the club and didn’t really set the world alight during his spells with Chelsea and Everton.
Lampard is certainly a risky option and is unlikely to be high up on Tottenham’s wishlist as they need someone who can deliver immediately and breathe new life into a club that has desperately lacked leadership and direction in recent seasons.
Francesco Farioli as a wildcard shout
Elsewhere, Francesco Farioli is continuing to enhance his reputation as one of the best young managers on the planet.
After making his name in Turkey with Fatih Karagumruk and Alanyaspor, the young Italian – who draws inspiration from De Zerbi – moved to Ligue 1 side Nice.
In France, he briefly challenged Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 title race before eventually finishing fifth as he adopted a possession-based brand of football with an aggressive, high defensive line.
Farioli was then snapped up by Eredivisie giants Ajax, who made him their first foreign manager since Morten Olsen in 1997.
Despite leading the Dutch top-flight by nine points with five games left to spare, Ajax somehow squandered the title to PSV Eindhoven last season after a dramatic collapse.
In addition to that, Farioli had some disagreements with the club’s hierarchy about transfers and tactics, which led to his departure by mutual consent.
The Italian is now in charge of Porto in the Portuguese top-flight and has overseen 18 wins in 21 league games in charge of the club, losing just once.
Porto have tied him down to a long-term deal until the summer of 2028, which is a sign that he is finally settled at a club. That said, we’ve seen over the years that the chance to manage in the Premier League could be hard to turn down – even for young managers – so if Tottenham make a move for him, it remains to be seen what he decides.
Long shot: Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso’s move to Real Madrid looked like a match made in heaven, on paper.
The Spaniard was hailed as the next big manager in the making after his exploits with Bayer Leverkusen as he won the Bundesliga and the DfB Pokal during the 2023-24 campaign.
Alonso nearly got his hands on the UEFA Europa League too – which could have seen Leverkusen complete an unprecedented invincible treble – but the Bundesliga side were beaten 3-0 by Serie A side Atalanta in the final.
Since replacing Carlo Ancelotti at the helm at the start of the season, Real Madrid fared quite well across all competitions. However, a series of poor results between November and January saw the Spanish giants take decisive action as he was replaced by former teammate Alvaro Arbeloa.
It could be argued that Real Madrid ditched the Alonso project at the first sign of an inconvenience, as he was ultimately punished for a bad run of form.
Sources in Spain suggest Alonso would be interested in joining Liverpool if they decide to part with Slot, which is a sign that the Premier League is high up on his list.
Tottenham haven’t officially been linked with the Spaniard, but it goes without saying that they would jump at the chance to appoint a manager of his calibre and experience.
That said, it remains to be seen if he shows interest in the job as he could be plotting an emotional return to Anfield, especially with Slot’s future seemingly hanging in the balance.
Striver football verdict
Since Pochettino’s dismissal in 2019, as many as eight permanent and interim managers have come and gone at Tottenham.
The North London outfit were renowned for their stability under the Argentine and also developed a reputation for making good decisions in the transfer market.
However, in recent years, they have looked like a shadow of their former selves and need an experienced manager who will be given time and patience to imprint his philosophy at the club.
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Tottenham need their owners, Sporting Director and their managers to work in tandem and create a long-term base for the club, which has been the case with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
The sensible thing to do would be to get someone to steady the ship between now and the end of the season, which would allow them enough time to interview suitable candidates to take the job permanently in the summer.