Tottenham have undergone three managerial hunts since winning the UEFA Europa League last season and now find themselves in the relegation zone.
Tottenham sacked Ange Postecoglou and brought in Thomas Frank. After a string of poor results, they sacked him to bring in Igor Tudor as an interim. After zero wins in five league games, they parted ways with him as well and have now appointed Roberto De Zerbi on a five-year deal.
However, before De Zerbi’s appointment, Spurs were linked with a potential move for Sean Dyche. Notably, their relegation rivals, Nottingham Forest, had sacked Dyche in February after 25 games in charge.
Dyche makes startling Tottenham confession
Dyche is known as an expert in the relegation battles. Hence, with seven games remaining, many considered him a good fit for Tottenham. However, the Englishman has confirmed that there was no contact between the north London side and him.
Dyche also told talkSPORT that he wouldn’t have joined Spurs even if they had offered him a ‘massive amount of money’. He said:
“Obviously, in the career I have, it does pay well, but I wouldn’t go in there looking for money. They could offer me a massive amount of money, I’m sure they’re capable of it and allegedly they’ve offered [Roberto] De Zerbi a massive amount of money.
“It would have been about what are you [Spurs] going to help me gain as a human being? What would I gain?”
Dyche added that he would have eventually faced criticism regardless of whether he kept Tottenham in the Premier League or not. He said:
“Let’s say you go in there and get the job done [not get relegated], then next season if you’re not in the top four and the football’s not what they want, then you’re rubbish and they want you out. So you’re not going to gain a lot there, are you? And that’s if you get the job done, because it’s not easy.”
“If you don’t get the job done, then somehow it’s on my neck that I took Tottenham down. That ain’t good for me as a human; this is not even about football at this point. Then you get some money, and I go, I’m not thirsty for that. I’ve got some money,” he added.
Notably, De Zerbi has become one of the highest-paid managers in the Premier League with his five-year deal at Tottenham.
Dyche would’ve been a poor fit at Tottenham
With seven games remaining, it’s hard to assume what would and would not work at Spurs. However, considering their recent past, Dyche would have likely struggled to make a big impact, despite his expertise in such situations.
Tottenham have shown time and time again that pragmatic managers just don’t eventually work at the club.
Fans demand better football, and even many current players don’t react well to a passive playing style, as evident under Thomas Frank. Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo, Frank, and Tudor all failed to turn the tide around at Spurs.
Also Read: What Manchester United told Roberto De Zerbi shortly before he took Tottenham job
With such limited time to instill his ideas, De Zerbi might struggle to help Spurs avoid relegation as well. However, if he does stay at the club for a long term, his playing style would be much suited to the demands of the club and the fanbase.
