Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to sack Thomas Frank has opened up a pivotal moment in the North London club’s modern history.
Tottenham Hotspur are hovering above the relegation zone in the Premier League standings, and the fanbase is demanding a decisive reset in the dugout. Thomas Frank is no longer at the club, with the North Londoners announcing his departure less than 24 hours after losing to Newcastle United.
Among the candidates who could both stabilise the present and restore long‑term ambition, Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Tuchel stand out as three very different but equally compelling solutions.
Mauricio Pochettino: Emotion, Identity, Unfinished Business
Mauricio Pochettino remains the managerial benchmark for Tottenham’s Premier League era, having turned Spurs into title contenders and UEFA Champions League regulars during his five‑year spell in north London. He guided the club to a first‑ever Champions League final in 2019 and consistently delivered top‑four finishes, with league placings of third, second and third across three peak seasons that redefined expectations around the club. That history is not just nostalgia; it is proof that he understands how to build a high‑energy, tactically coherent side within Tottenham’s financial and structural realities.
What makes Pochettino an especially powerful candidate now is the alignment between his skillset and the current mood around the club. Tottenham’s fanbase has already made its feelings clear, chanting his name during the toxic home defeat to Newcastle that effectively sealed Frank’s fate, underlining how strong the emotional connection remains. Pochettino knows the stadium, the training ground, the expectations, and the specific demands of the Premier League, which drastically shorten the adaptation period. For a squad that looks mentally drained and tactically confused after a long winless run, the familiarity of his methods, aggressive pressing, vertical transitions, and clear roles for young players could be exactly what is required to jolt the dressing room back to life.
From a footballing perspective, a reunion would give Tottenham the chance to restore the identity lost in the churn of post‑Pochettino appointments. His best Spurs sides married an intense press with quick combinations through midfield, using full‑backs high and wide and a narrow front line to overwhelm opponents between the lines. Much of the current squad, from dynamic forwards to ball‑playing centre‑backs, is built for that kind of front‑foot approach rather than the more cautious, reactive football that has crept in. Combine that with his proven ability to develop players, turning the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli into elite performers, and the argument for Pochettino becomes as much about long‑term squad evolution as it is about short‑term galvanising.
The obvious risk is whether going back to a previous era can truly move the club forward, but in this case, the balance of evidence is in his favour. Pochettino offers continuity, clarity and a proven compatibility with the club’s culture, and the current crisis only magnifies how valuable that combination could be.
Suitability: 10/10
De Zerbi: Tactical shock therapy and attacking football
If Pochettino represents familiarity and emotional reconnection, Roberto De Zerbi offers Tottenham something closer to tactical shock therapy. At Brighton, he built one of the Premier League’s most distinctive sides, combining daring build‑up play with aggressive pressing and a relentless attacking mindset that carried the club into Europe for the first time in their history. His Brighton team were comfortable playing through pressure, using the goalkeeper in possession, attracting the press and then slicing through it with quick vertical passes, concepts that would instantly modernise Tottenham’s approach with the ball.
Since moving to Marseille, De Zerbi has adapted his ideas to a new context without losing his core principles, using fluid 3‑2‑5 and 3‑1‑6 structures in possession to create numerical superiority in midfield and wide overloads in the final third. In France, his sides remain aggressive and proactive, alternating between patient circulation and sudden tempo changes to break lines and disorganise compact blocks. That tactical flexibility – positional play in possession, organised pressing out of it, makes him particularly attractive for a Tottenham squad that has been drifting between identities; his blueprint would give them a clear, modern footballing reference point.
For Tottenham’s players, De Zerbi’s high‑intensity, attacking approach could act as a rejuvenating force. His use of wingers high and wide, dual-number tens between the lines, and full‑backs stepping into midfield would suit a squad built around technically capable forwards and progressive defenders, while his preference for brave passes into central areas would demand and reward confidence on the ball. For a fanbase frustrated by passive, safety‑first football and a team sliding towards a relegation fight, the promise of aggressive pressing, quick combinations and a front‑foot mentality would be especially appealing.
There are, of course, questions about how quickly such a demanding system could be implemented mid‑season in the Premier League. De Zerbi’s football requires extreme concentration and tactical intelligence, and his sides can be vulnerable defensively when the press is not perfectly synchronised, as seen in some of Marseille’s more chaotic games. Yet that risk may be worth taking for a club looking to re‑energise its project; his track record of improving teams, both stylistically and competitively, suggests he could turn Tottenham into one of the most compelling, adventurous sides in England if given backing and time.
Suitability: 8/10
Tuchel: Elite pragmatism and big‑game pedigree
Thomas Tuchel brings something neither Pochettino nor De Zerbi can match: a recent Champions League title and a reputation as an elite problem‑solver in high‑pressure environments. At Chelsea, he arrived mid‑season, tightened the defensive structure almost overnight and led the club to Champions League glory within months, neutralising some of Europe’s most feared attacks along the way. His time in the Premier League proved that he can implement a complex system quickly, organise a shaky back line and grind out results when margins are thin, all qualities Tottenham desperately need after their slide towards the bottom end of the table.
Tuchel’s coaching is defined by tactical adaptability and meticulous preparation. He has used back three and back four systems at the highest level, adjusting pressing schemes, build‑up patterns and attacking structures according to opposition strengths and weaknesses. That pragmatic edge would allow Tottenham to stabilise defensively without completely sacrificing attacking ambition; his sides can press high, but are also comfortable dropping into a compact mid‑block and countering with precision when required. In a season where survival and medium‑term consolidation are as important as style points, this kind of controllable, flexible football has clear appeal.
Timing is the complicating factor. Tuchel is tied to the England national team until after the World Cup, and any move would have to wait until his contract expires following that tournament. Even so, Spurs could position themselves now, laying the groundwork for an elite appointment that signals genuine ambition. A coach with his track record, Champions League winner, proven in multiple top leagues, would send a clear message that Tottenham intend to rejoin Europe’s top tier rather than simply escape a relegation scrap.
In the longer term, Tuchel could oversee a more mature evolution of the squad, blending youth development with a more ruthless competitive edge. His history of improving players tactically, from forwards’ pressing triggers to defenders’ positioning in the half‑spaces, would likely raise the collective level and align with Tottenham’s desire to compete domestically and in Europe on a consistent basis. For a club that has too often fallen just short in decisive moments, his big‑game experience could be transformative.
Suitability: 7/10
Three different paths, one urgent decision
Pochettino, De Zerbi and Tuchel each offer Tottenham a distinct pathway out of the current crisis. Pochettino promises an emotional reconnection and a return to a proven identity; De Zerbi offers a bold, attacking reset built on high‑intensity pressing and positional play; and Tuchel represents elite pragmatism with a Champions League‑winning pedigree. The choice will define not just how Spurs navigate the rest of this season, but what kind of club they intend to be over the next decade, at a time when the margin for error has rarely felt smaller.