Tottenham Hotspur have approached Dougie Freedman to lead a revamp of the club, with Bournemouth’s Tiago Pinto also on the list for sporting director, as they also attempt to solve this season’s crisis. Sean Dyche is being considered as a potential replacement for Igor Tudor.
With the club hierarchy wracked by indecision, they are also having to plan on multiple levels. A summer football overhaul is essential regardless of what happens, but relegation would obviously considerably change the picture.
Freedman is one of the most respected recruitment specialists in the game for his work at Crystal Palace, but is currently in a lucrative role at Al Diriyah in Saudi Arabia. While uncertainty over Spurs budget for next season may also prove inhibitive in any prospective negotiations, sporting directors are said to see the job as appealing for the chance of a blank canvas to reinvigorate a giant club. At Bournemouth, meanwhile, Pinto has specialised in signing exactly the kind of players Spurs would want.
The picture could considerably change depending on how this season finishes, with the hierarchy understood to again be split over what decision to take on the manager.
There is an obvious acceptance that it is not working out under Tudor. Results have got worse and performances have plummeted, with the Croatian’s abrasive approach seen as wrong for the situation, accentuating confusion over the tactical system he is trying to play.
A problem, mirroring the Thomas Frank situation, is that Spurs don’t know who to bring in.
Dyche has been considered as one of the few “survival specialists” remaining in the game, amid an acceptance that the team could just do with the defensive order that he would bring.
The 54-year-old is nevertheless said to be reluctant to take on a short-term role, and sources say there could also be complications with his settlement from Nottingham Forest. Dyche was sacked from Spurs’ relegation rivals last month.
If he were to join Tottenham, it would open the possibility that two coaches who have managed Forest this season – Dyche and Nuno Espirito Santo – could relegate the midlands club.
