Tottenham Hotspur have become one of the most chaotic clubs in English football when it comes to keeping a manager in a job. Since 2014, they have worked their way through an extraordinary number of coaches at every level, and keeping up with the turnover has become a story in itself.
Let's take a look at all of Spurs' managers over the last 10 years.
Mauricio Pochettino (2014 to 2019)
Pochettino arrived from
Southampton in 2014 and delivered the finest era of modern Tottenham football.
He finished second in the Premier League in 2016-17 and guided the club to the
Champions League final in 2019, where they lost to Liverpool. Despite never
winning a trophy, his five-year tenure remains the standard by which every
Spurs manager since has been judged. He was sacked in November 2019 following a
poor start to the season.
Jose Mourinho (2019 to 2021)
Mourinho replaced Pochettino
within hours of his dismissal and arrived with enormous expectations. His early
results were promising, but consistency never followed, and he was sacked in
April 2021 just days before a League Cup final without ever truly winning over
the fanbase.
Ryan Mason — two interim spells (2021 and 2023)
Mason served as interim manager on
two separate occasions. His first spell came in 2021, following Mourinho's
dismissal, where he took Spurs to the League Cup final against Manchester City
at Wembley, which they lost. He returned for a second stint in 2023 after
Stellini's brief and disastrous spell, seeing out the remainder of the season
before Spurs finished eighth and a permanent appointment was made.
Nuno Espirito Santo (2021)
Nuno arrived in the summer of 2021
with a solid reputation earned at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but lasted just four
months. He won his first three league games and claimed the Manager of the
Month award for August, but results collapsed quickly, and he was sacked in
November after just 17 games.
Antonio Conte (2021 to 2023)
Conte took charge in November 2021
and injected real intensity into the club, securing a top-four finish in his
first full season and returning Spurs to the Champions League. His relationship
with the board deteriorated badly, though, and he departed by mutual consent in
March 2023 following a remarkable public press conference in which he
criticised his own players.
Cristian Stellini (interim, 2023)
Stellini, Conte's assistant, was
handed temporary charge following the Italian's exit. His five-game stint was a
disaster, highlighted by a 6-1 thrashing away at Newcastle United, and he was
quickly relieved of his duties and replaced by Ryan Mason.
Ange Postecoglou (2023 to 2025)
Postecoglou was an outsider choice
but made an immediate impact, with Spurs briefly topping the Premier League in
the early weeks of 2023-24. He delivered Europa League glory in May 2025,
beating Manchester United in the final to end a 17-year trophy drought. Despite
that historic win, the board sacked him after Spurs lost 22 league matches and
finished just one place above the relegation zone.
Thomas Frank (2025 to 2026)
Frank joined from Brentford in
June 2025 with a strong reputation, but never got going at Spurs. He guided
them through the Champions League group stage effectively, but their domestic
form was dreadful, winning just two of their last 17 league games. He was
sacked in February 2026 following a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle, with a win
rate of 26.9 per cent, the worst of any permanent Spurs manager in the Premier
League era. The club paid approximately £8 million in compensation.
Igor Tudor (February to March 2026)
Tudor was appointed interim head
coach after Frank's dismissal, bringing experience from previous roles at
Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray, and Juventus. His mandate was simple: keep Spurs
in the Premier League. He managed just six games before being sacked at the end
of March, leaving the club in a precarious position with the drop zone still
within reach.
Roberto De Zerbi (April 2026 to present)
Two days after Tudor's exit, Spurs
moved quickly and ambitiously, appointing Roberto De Zerbi on a five-year deal
that made him one of the most expensive managerial appointments in the
division. The Italian, who built his reputation at Brighton and Sassuolo with
attacking, high-energy football, arrives under enormous pressure with
relegation still a genuine threat.
His start could hardly have been
worse. De Zerbi lost his first game in charge 1-0 to Sunderland, a result that officially
put Spurs in the relegation zone, two points behind West Ham. The financial
stakes attached to the deal only add to that pressure. De Zerbi stands to earn
a substantial bonus if he keeps Spurs in the Premier League, but the contract
also includes significant compensation clauses should he choose to walk away
early. For a club already paying heavily for years of instability, it is a considerable
gamble, and one that leaves very little room for error.
Comments
Post a Comment