At a glance:
- Glenn Hoddle offered to take Tottenham job
- North London outfit chose Roberto De Zerbi
- Englishman speaks about ‘big problem’ at Spurs
Glenn Hoddle is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the history of Tottenham Hotspur.
The North London outfit could currently use a figure like him as they fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Roberto De Zerbi is Tottenham’s third manager of the season after they quickly decided to part ways with Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
And now, Hoddle reveals that he threw himself into the race to take over the reigns at the club shortly after the Croatian’s departure.
Glenn Hoddle offered to take Tottenham job
Tudor didn’t win a single Premier League game as interim boss and left his role after just 44 days in charge of the club.
His last game in charge of Tottenham was a dismal 3-0 defeat to fellow relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest, which turned the tide in favour of Vitor Pereira’s side.
And now, Hoddle reveals he made a come-and-get-me plea to Tottenham to step into the role alongside Ossie Ardiles.
“No, they never came to us,’ he said on The Jeff Stelling Show when asked about reports at the time which linked him with the role.
“Ossie (Ardiles) and myself, after the Forest game, we felt there was a real problem there.
“Ossie and I made it clear that we would go in there if they wanted us to go in there. Tudor was in as the manager, but to lose 3-0 against a team down at the bottom with you was a bad sign.
“It looked to me as if it needed some love, it needed some people to go in there and unite the fans.’
“It (our proposal) was sort of looked upon and they said they were looking elsewhere,’ Hoddle added. ‘So it was fine by me. I don’t care who (has the job).
“I’m a Spurs man through and through since 8 years of age. So as long as they’ve got the right man in… De Zerbi has gone in, and everyone’s got to unite and get together.
“But they’ve got a real task on their hands, haven’t they? I just want them to stay up.”
Tottenham in dire straits
De Zerbi is undoubtedly a fantastic manager and a proper, long-term appointment.
However, does he have the experience to steer a team so devoid of confidence away from the relegation zone?
For that reason alone, Hoddle and Ardiles would have been good fits for the role, even if they came in as members of the backroom staff.
Tottenham need people who care about the club to be involved in whatever capacity, but it is a little bit too late to be discussing all of this.
They have just four games to save themselves and need to play out of their skins to dig out of the hole they are in at the moment.
