Tottenham could make an internal interim managerial appointment until the end of the season.
Thomas Frank was dismissed just hours after Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle United on Tuesday evening, leaving them 16th in the Premier League and just five points clear of the bottom three.
The Lilywhites are in a precarious position in the Premier League, seemingly in the relegation battle. They have started their search for a new manager after Thomas Frank’s exit. The North Londoners have been linked with several different managerial options so far.
Gary Lineker has urged his old club to appoint ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, while Roberto De Zerbi is waiting in the wings to take over the Tottenham job. Mauricio Pochettino has been sensationally linked with a return to White Hart Lane, but it doesn’t look possible now as he is employed with the USMNT.
Tottenham are not ruling out appointing an interim coach until the end of the season to give them time to line up a new boss permanently in the summer. And this has made an internal appointment very much possible.
John Heitinga could become Tottenham’s interim boss
According to a report from the Daily Mail, John Heitinga is among the options to take charge of the club until the end of the season. Tottenham sees John Heitinga as someone capable of stabilising the situation until the end of the season.
Heitinga was added to Frank’s backroom staff last month, days before the last-gasp home defeat to West Ham. The Dutchman left Arne Slot’s coaching team at Liverpool to take over at Ajax last year but was sacked after less than six months in the role.
The decision to consider the former Everton defender is largely based on the fact that he is already integrated into the club’s structure and is now familiar with the squad. Despite his mixed results during his previous stint with Ajax, the 42-year-old could bring some fresh energy and ideas into the team, needing an uplift ahead of a crucial run of fixtures.
The report adds that if Heitinga is appointed as the interim manager, he will need to assemble a new backroom staff very quickly, as most of Frank’s assistants who came from Brentford are set to leave the club.
The perilous situation at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium calls for some urgency over an appointment, with Arsenal set to pay a visit next weekend for a heated North London derby. Spurs would normally be minded to bring in an interim manager at this stage of the season, allowing the campaign to finish before seeking a permanent solution.