Spurs hold talks to hire English manager who could be Redknapp 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur are at their nadir, but it will get a whole lot worse if Igor Tudor fails to inspire his squad over the final few months of the season.

That’s assuming the interim boss lasts until May, of course, and that looked decidedly unlikely after four wretched defeats in the wake of Thomas Frank’s sacking.

The error-strewn 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie has done no physical damage to Spurs’ Premier League relegation fight, but the psychological hit has been intense.

Antonin Kinsky made a slew of mistakes and was taken off after only 16 minutes in the most chastising of circumstances. Tudor made the call, and he’s been met with a sea of criticism, and it’s already beginning to look like the Croatian coach’s position is becoming untenable.

The latest on Igor Tudor’s Spurs position

Many thought that the seven-goal defeat at Atletico would prove the end of Tudor’s fleeting tenure, but Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold has revealed that the 47-year-old is expected to take questions on Thursday for the club’s pre-match press conference, ahead of a Premier League trip to Anfield.

It doesn’t feel very likely that Tottenham will stave off the imminent threat of relegation by keeping the faith in Tudor for the remainder of the campaign, but with Harry Redknapp unrealistic and top targets such as Roberto De Zerbi and Mauricio Pochettino only available after the end of the season, ENIC Group could be forced into making a drastic, left-field decision.

Well, the latest man in the frame is Sean Dyche, who has been out of work since being dismissed by Nottingham Forest. According to TEAMtalk, the manager with 350 Premier League games under his belt, is one of the many names being considered for the post.

In fact, according to a reporter from AP News, Spurs have actually made ‘tenative contact’ with Dyche’s representatives to discuss his availability.

The English boss isn’t the most exciting coach on the block, but he could be exactly what this side need as they stare into an abyss they cannot afford to fall into.

Why Spurs need to appoint Dyche

Dyche has a reputation as something of a relegation specialist, having kept Burnley in the Premier League for six seasons before taking the reins at Everton and guiding the beleaguered Merseysiders away from danger.

Indeed, while Dyche’s time at Goodison Park eventually went stale, he replaced Frank Lampard’s sinking ship and brought clarity to the club before propping them back up.

The differences between his coaching style and Dyche’s are night and day. Tudor might employ a front-footed strategy, but it hasn’t clicked at all at N17, and perhaps the players need someone who understands the Premier League and what it takes to beat opponents in a battle for survival.

And Dyche, after all, has managed 350 games in England’s top flight, with his short-lived tenure at Nottingham Forest earlier this season initially seeing him win four of his first eight league outings, including an away trip to Liverpool and a 3-0 drubbing over Frank’s Tottenham.

In the Champions League on Tuesday, Tottenham came undone by their own error-filled performance. But this has been a recurring theme throughout their Premier League campaign, one which could form a central role in their tumble into the second tier.

While there have been some half-hearted claims for Redknapp to return to the Spurs dugout, the iconic English coach is 79 years old, so he’d probably be a poor choice to draft out of retirement and into the thick of a toxic relegation battle.

Dyche, however, enforces some similar old-school principles that Tottenham could benefit from, restoring a semblance of confidence to the dressing room and a unified focus on battling away from the danger zone. Tudor, after all, has thus far proved incapable in that respect.

The reality of Tottenham’s position has finally dawned on the under-fire board, but still they back Tudor with time running out.

While drafting Dyche in is hardly the most appetising option at the Lilywhites’ disposal, these are desperate times, and they call for desperate measures.

Dyche is a specialist in staving off danger at the bottom of the table, and Tottenham are in real trouble of being relegated from the top flight. With Tudor seemingly unable to rally the troops, the experienced Premier League boss could be the perfect option.