De Zerbi Snubs Spurs as Tudor Exit Confirmed; Hutter Link Dismissed

Igor Tudor's Tottenham tenure is over. The Croatian will leave the club by mutual consent in the wake of Saturday's dreadful 3-0 home defeat to relegation-battlers Nottingham Forest, with both parties having agreed to part ways.

The decision comes as little surprise given Tudor's disastrous start to life in North London—four straight losses before a draw at Liverpool and a Europa League victory over Atletico Madrid offered brief respite. That false dawn was extinguished emphatically at the Nottingham City Ground, leaving Spurs languishing in 17th place, a single point clear of the drop zone after winning the competition last term.

Tudor himself has indicated his readiness to step away, with sources pointing to the recent death of his father, Mario, as a contributing factor. The timing suits all parties, it seems, though Tottenham's season remains in freefall.

The club had already begun eyeing potential successors, with Roberto De Zerbi emerging as the obvious candidate. The Italian, who parted company with Marseille on 11 February following a mutually agreed termination, would have represented an eye-catching appointment. Yet according to Gianluca Di Marzio, De Zerbi has little appetite for a mid-season rescue mission at the Tottenham helm.

The Italian coach, Di Marzio reports, intends to remain on the sidelines for the remainder of the campaign. His decision is not a rejection of Spurs specifically, but rather a measured approach to evaluating his options as the season draws to a close. De Zerbi, who previously managed Marseille and Brighton, has evidently decided he will not return to work until the summer, preferring to take stock after his recent departure rather than commit to another mid-season project.

Spurs had previously attempted to recruit De Zerbi following Thomas Frank's dismissal. That opportunity passed; this one has too.

Adi Hutter, the former Eintracht Frankfurt manager, has been repeatedly mentioned as a potential interim solution. English media outlets have suggested talks between the Austrian and the club. Sky Sport Germany, however, dismisses such claims outright, insisting there have been "no concrete talks" between Hütter and Tottenham. The speculation, it appears, has run well ahead of any actual negotiations.