Tottenham are trying to convince Roberto De Zerbi to become their new manager before the end of the season after sacking Igor Tudor – with one contender appearing to rule himself out as the club consider a sensational move for Glenn Hoddle.
Spurs are searching for their fourth head coach in 295 days after Tudor’s exit and De Zerbi, who has been linked with the Manchester United job, is among the top candidates.
The Italian, 46, has drawn objections from some sections of supporters for his role in rebuilding Mason Greenwood‘s reputation at Marseille and is also thought to be keen to wait until the summer.
But Spurs are attempting to persuade the ex-Brighton and Marseille manager to take the job now, and it remains a possibility.
One contender who appears to have already ruled themselves out of consideration is former Monaco boss Adi Hutter.
Speaking to Sky Sports Austria, he said: ‘In the last few days and weeks, I have been increasingly linked with various clubs.
‘However, as I already said immediately after my time at Monaco, I fundamentally want to work as a head coach again at the beginning of the new season at the earliest. My stance on this topic has not changed since then.’
Tottenham are looking for someone to take over immediately and be in position for their game against Sunderland on Sunday – and could turn to Hoddle in what would be a remarkable move.
Hoddle, 68, has not managed for nearly 20 years, but Spurs have spent a week exploring options since the punishing defeat by Nottingham Forest deepened relegation fears.
Sean Dyche leads the betting but has distanced himself from the role.
Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange will be wary of options from the same mould as Tudor, who was unfamiliar with the club or English football, although there had been contact with Hutter.
Austrian Hutter, 56, has coached the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach, while he left Monaco last year after two years in charge.
Under Tudor, who had previously been in charge of Juventus, Spurs picked up only one point from five Premier League games since replacing Thomas Frank and crashed out of the Champions League.
Hoddle has made clear he is willing to help, as have others who managed the club in the past, including Tim Sherwood and Harry Redknapp.
Others with a Spurs background and more recent coaching experience including Chris Hughton and Ryan Mason are out of work and have been linked.
Spurs are also reluctant to commit to a new boss on a long-term deal because they want to select from an open field in the summer, which would include former favourite Mauricio Pochettino, who is committed to the United States until after the World Cup.
Hoddle is recognised as one the greatest Spurs players of all time and managed them for two and a half years from March 2001.
He has not managed since leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2006, although he was briefly part of Redknapp’s coaching team at Queens Park Rangers.
Since leaving QPR in 2015, he has spent most of his time in football working on TV as a co-commentator and pundit on TNT Sports and suffered a heart attack in 2018.
