Farioli Rules Out Spurs Move, But Keane Open to North London Rescue

Tottenham's managerial search has hit an early roadblock, with Porto's Francesco Farioli showing no appetite for a move to north London this season.

The Portuguese club's head coach, who arrived at the Estádio do Dragão in July after being handpicked by Andre Villas-Boas to succeed Martin Anselmi, has made clear his commitment to finishing what he started. According to Jornal de Noticias, the Italian tactician is determined to see through his project at Porto rather than abandon ship mid-campaign.

Spurs moved to part ways with Frank following Wednesday's 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United, with Jacob Ramsey's strike sealing a ninth consecutive league match without victory. The loss leaves Tottenham languishing in 16th place, prompting the club to consider both interim and permanent solutions.

Farioli's position echoes a previous moment when Chelsea came calling—he stood firm in his Porto commitment then as well, having only recently taken the reins at Nice and Ajax before his Portuguese adventure.

However, there is one candidate willing to take the plunge. Ferencvaros manager Robbie Keane, the former Spurs striker, is reported by The Sun to be "open" to swapping Hungary for a role at Tottenham. The question mark remains over whether the ex-Premier League forward would accept a temporary caretaker position, with that possibility still very much in play.

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou's recent appearance on The Overlap has reignited debate about his departure. The Australian described Tottenham as "not a big club" in characteristically blunt fashion, prompting a defence from former striker Teddy Sheringham, who believes the club made a mistake in sacking him.

"Spurs should never have sacked him," Sheringham told MrQ. "He didn't care where they ended up in the Premier League as long as he won something for the football club, and he did that. He told them what he was going to do, and he did it."

Yet Sheringham acknowledged the damage may be irreparable. "I don't think you can take him back now. There was such a funny vibe at the club when he went. I think that would be wrong to do that now," he added.

When turning to potential replacements, Sheringham threw his weight behind Xabi Alonso, despite the Bayer Leverkusen boss's underwhelming spell at Real Madrid. "He's an outstanding football man, and he's had a good win ratio in his career," the Spurs legend insisted.