Tottenham Hotspur’s relegation fears could well become reality in the coming weeks as they prepare for an important run of Premier League games under Igor Tudor.
The Croatian has lost all three matches in charge of the club after succeeding Thomas Frank, with Spurs currently just a point above West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.
Tudor is set to be in charge of the club for their upcoming UEFA Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.
However, if reports are to be believed, Tottenham are working behind the scenes for a contingency plan in case they decide to sack him less than a month after his arrival.
Keane and De Zerbi wanted by Tottenham
After Frank’s sacking, Robbie Keane was briefly on Tottenham’s radar before Tudor’s appointment. However, despite signaling his desire to manage the club, he remained at Ferencvaros.
It is also well documented that Roberto de Zerbi has keen admirers within the Tottenham hierarchy, with the Italian currently without a job after leaving Marseille earlier this year by mutual consent.
While Keane is a young manager making a name for himself, De Zerbi has a proven pedigree and is widely hailed as one of the best tacticians in the modern game.
And now, according to a report from TEAMtalk, De Zerbi and Keane are on Tottenham’s shortlist if they decide to part with Tudor prematurely.
The Croatian doesn’t have much time to turn things around but is believed to have avoided the sack for now, with a final decision to be made after Tottenham’s Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday.
The report also states that De Zerbi isn’t particularly enthusiastic about taking on the role of a firefighter in a relegation battle, which is why Tottenham are carefully weighing up all possibilities before making a move.
Nottingham Forest fixture could decide everything
While Tottenham have fared well in Europe this season, they won’t care too much about the outcome of their tie against Atletico Madrid as Premier League safety is currently the name of the game.
They are winless in 11 Premier League outings and face reigning champions Liverpool next, which is another fixture they go into as the underdogs.
Read More: Igor Tudor responds directly to Tottenham sack claims as relegation woes deepen
However, the game against Nottingham Forest a week later is a relegation six-pointer if there ever was one.
And based on how Vitor Pereira’s side fare against Fulham this weekend, they would well be ahead of Tottenham in the table when they travel to North London.
If the Lilywhites lose that game, relegation will loom over them like never before, which is honestly a horrifying prospect for everyone associated with the club.
