Spurs Eye Pochettino and De Zerbi as Tudor's Grip Loosens; Keane Emerges as Dark Horse Candidate

Tottenham's managerial crisis has reached boiling point following a calamitous 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Thursday, leaving Igor Tudor's position increasingly untenable after just three games in charge.

The north London club find themselves in freefall—without a Premier League victory so far in 2026 and precariously perched just one point above the relegation trap door. West Ham's midweek victory over Fulham had ramped up the pressure, but Spurs' response was nothing short of a capitulation.

Tudor's side imploded spectacularly after Dominic Solanke had put them ahead. A red card for Micky van de Ven in the seven minutes before half-time proved the catalyst for a complete unravelling, with Palace finding the net three times to seize control. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium atmosphere turned toxic as another grim afternoon unfolded.

Having only recently replaced Thomas Frank, Tudor's contract runs merely until the summer, and few observers believe he will survive until then if results continue on this trajectory. This latest collapse has intensified speculation about his successor.

According to reports, Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi represent the club's two primary targets. However, a darker horse has emerged in the shape of Robbie Keane, the club legend who holds particular appeal should Spurs suffer the unthinkable and drop down a division. With potential budget constraints and competing interest from other clubs, landing either Pochettino or De Zerbi becomes exponentially harder if relegation materialises.

Should Keane get the nod, an intriguing partnership could materialise. Glenn Hoddle, another Spurs icon, has signalled his willingness to return to the club in a supporting capacity. Speaking on the It Could be Magic podcast, Hoddle explained that Tottenham holds deep personal significance—he has been a supporter since childhood and the club has been fundamental to his life.

Hoddle suggested that working alongside Keane in a mentoring role could prove mutually beneficial. "Robbie's doing great as a young manager," Hoddle reflected. "To have a steady springboard and someone experienced like myself would be a good formula, in many ways. I think it'd be a shrewd move to have somebody, whether it was me or somebody experienced with him."

The former England manager acknowledged the gamble of entrusting a young manager with such a significant role, yet drew parallels to his own managerial beginnings. "I went into my first management job at 30. What was I, 34? Yeah, 34. So I was very, very young," he noted. "You have to take that leap at some stage and you sort of learn on the job. But if you can learn on the job and have some experience around you, looking back, I could have done with that a hell of a lot."

For now, though, Tudor remains in the hot seat, with every fixture feeling like it could be his last.