Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new manager has proved to be impossible to predict as their torrid run in the Premier League in 2026 continues.
Igor Tudor’s job is believed to be in danger after the club’s embarrassing 3-0 defeat to fellow relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest.
The Croatian is currently taking time out after the passing of his father, Mario, while work continues to happen behind the scenes to identify his successor.
Whether Tottenham decide to pull the plug now or at the end of the season is the only question, with a new manager set to be in place for the start of the new season.
And aside from the usual suspects, a new name in the form of Okan Buruk has been added to their shortlist, if reports from Italy are to be believed.
Tottenham turn to Turkey
Mauricio Pochettino has been heavily linked with a return to N17, but any move for the Argentine can only happen after the 2026 FIFA World Cup as he is currently in charge of the United States Men’s National Team.
After leaving Marseille by mutual consent in February, Roberto de Zerbi is also high on Tottenham’s shortlist, although the Italian is eager to wait until the end of the season to decide his next move.
In the meantime, Galatasaray’s Okan Buruk has been added to Tottenham’s shortlist, according to Tutto Mercato Web.
The Turk, whose contract expires at the end of the current season, has been at Gala since 2022, winning five major trophies, including three Turkish Super Lig crowns.
The report also mentions interest from Al-Ittihad and Lazio, while other unnamed Serie A clubs are also keeping tabs on him in case he leaves Galatasaray at the end of the season.
Galatasaray are in a good position to win the Turkish top-flight once again this season as they find themselves four points above second-placed Fenerbahce despite having a game in hand.
They gave a good account of themselves in the UEFA Champions League, beating Juventus in the playoff round and Liverpool in the first leg of the Round of 16, before eventually losing to Arne Slot’s side 4-0 at Anfield a week later to suffer elimination.
Buruk a strange link
Buruk has made the Turkish top-flight his playground, having won three league titles as a player and four more as a manager for Istanbul Basaksehir and Gala.
However, despite being a top-flight manager since 2013, he hasn’t managed a club outside Turkey. While that shouldn’t necessarily deter Tottenham’s approach, it is worth noting that they need to get their next appointment absolutely bang on the money, so they’d be better off looking at someone with a better CV.
Recently, Adi Hutter has also been linked with a move to Tottenham.
Similar to Buruk, the Austrian, despite being a fantastic coach in his own right, simply doesn’t seem like a candidate who is capable of awakening a sleeping giant like Tottenham, with the club in desperate need of someone who can breathe new life into a side that has lost its way in recent months.
Stranger things have happened in football, but Buruk is neither a firefighter who can save the club from relegation nor a serial winner who has a proven pedigree outside Turkey, so it remains to be seen how this one pans out.
