With Antonio Conte expected to leave Tottenham by the end of the week, attention is already turning to who might be next to try their hand at what continues to look a near-impossible job.
Spurs are a big club with a fabulous stadium, passionate fanbase and talented squad.
Despite the relative success of Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino in the last two decades, as well as investing in high-profile bosses Jose Mourinho and Conte, none have been able to bring silverware to the north London club.
The only trophy Spurs have claimed since the turn of the century was the EFL Cup in 2007-08, and any new manager/head coach will be tasked with ending that drought as soon as possible, as well as ensuring another season of Champions League football.
Stats Perform looks at some of the early favourites, with Conte seemingly on the brink.
Mauricio Pochettino
The Argentinian was a very popular figure during his time at White Hart Lane – and subsequently Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Pochettino may not have won a trophy, but he presided over two title challenges and the run to the 2019 Champions League final, which resulted in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
He mostly got the best out of his players, too, and took many of them to another level.
His five-year reign included 113 wins from 202 Premier League games, a points-per-game (PPG) average of 1.89, very slightly higher than Conte's 1.88 (32 wins from 56 games).
Pochettino was eventually dismissed by chairman Daniel Levy after appearing to take the club as far as he could, so going back to him when still looking someone to take them to the next level might be a little backwards.
He would likely be a popular choice with the fans, though, and should at the very least provide some stability. Perhaps crucially, he might also be their best bet in convincing Harry Kane to stay.
Ryan Mason
It wouldn't technically be a return for Mason as he never actually left, taking on a first-team coach role after the end of his interim spell at the helm following the sacking of Mourinho in April 2021.
His second game in charge was a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final, but Mason arguably did well considering his lack of experience.
Given he only took charge of six matches, it seems a little pointless to stake a claim for Mason based on his own PPG record (2.0).
But the former Spurs midfielder is the heavy favourite for the job, even if only on a short-term basis again.
Similarly to Pochettino, the thinking behind that choice would most likely be stability and that decision makers at the club may feel the players are likely to respond positively to someone they already know.
Unless he performs spectacularly, appointing Mason would probably be followed by a full-time hire at the end of the season.
Thomas Tuchel
While Tuchel would be yet another former Chelsea boss taking the reins, following in the footsteps of Glenn Hoddle, Andre Villas-Boas, Mourinho and Conte, it's hard to argue with his credentials.
The German won 35 of 63 Premier League games with the Blues, a PPG average of 1.94, as well as winning the Champions League in 2021.
Considering Spurs are eager to win a first trophy since 2008, the fact Tuchel guided Chelsea to five finals – including the 2021 Club World Cup – in less than two years will no doubt appeal, even if he did lose three of them.
Tuchel reportedly left Stamford Bridge partly due to a disagreement on transfers with owner Todd Boehly, which may not bode well given Conte's consistent complaining about the way Spurs work in the market.
Either way, the man who shared a furious handshake with Conte earlier this season could well be the same person to replace the Italian in the Spurs dugout.
Luis Enrique
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona player most recently won 27 of 48 games as Spain head coach, but international football can be a different world to the top-level club game.
Luis Enrique was very successful in his last club job at Barca, though it admittedly helped having a front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all at their peak.
He won two LaLiga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns, a Supercopa de Espana, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup, as well as the 2014-15 Champions League as part of a historic treble.
Overall, Luis Enrique won 87 of his 114 LaLiga games (2.4 PPG), but it is difficult to compare this to counterparts at Spurs given Barca's relative dominance in Spain.
His record at Roma earlier in his career could be a better barometer, winning 16 of his 38 Serie A games in charge of the Giallorossi (1.5 PPG), before winning 14 of 38 LaLiga matches as head coach of Celta Vigo (1.3 PPG) before heading to Camp Nou. But how relevant are these spells now given he left Balaidos nine years ago?
Similarly, the fact he's not had a club job since 2017 might be seen as problematic by some fans, while it could also be argued he underachieved with Spain.
Roberto De Zerbi
De Zerbi has made his mark on the Premier League very quickly since replacing Graham Potter at Brighton and Hove Albion in September.
Brighton have thrived and find themselves in a genuine fight for Europe, with a top-four finish not out of the question at this stage as they sit seven points behind fourth-placed Spurs with three games in hand.
De Zerbi has won eight of his 19 Premier League games, while the Seagulls rank second in the Premier League for passing accuracy (86.9 per cent), average possession (62.1 per cent) and passes per sequence (4.5). They are also third for goals (35) and fifth for passes played into the opposition's box since his first game, highlighting an attack-minded approach that would certainly be appreciated by a frustrated Spurs fanbase.
Getting him out of Brighton will be easier said than done, however, having already lost one head coach this season, not to mention their renown for getting a good deal – Potter reportedly cost Chelsea £21.5million.
Spurs will almost certainly have to pay through the nose or look elsewhere.
Oliver Glasner
A surprise name that has emerged in recent days is that of Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner, who impressed so many by leading the Bundesliga club to Europa League success last season.
Glasner made a promising start to his coaching career in his native Austria with Ried and LASK, before guiding Wolfsburg to seventh and fourth-placed finishes in the German top-flight.
He then made the switch to Eintracht ahead of the 2021-22 season. He could only guide them to 11th in the Bundesliga, winning just three of their 17 games in the second half of the campaign, but this came amid the backdrop of Europa League glory, eliminating Real Betis, Barcelona and West Ham before beating Rangers in the final on penalties.
Some reports suggest Levy has already contacted Glasner, whose contract expires in 2024.
This season, Eintracht sit sixth in the league and were recently knocked out of the Champions League last 16 by Napoli.
Spalletti sees new intensity in Italy's play as France stunned
Luciano Spalletti said Italy had shown a new level of intensity in their Nations League opener after they stunned France with a 3-1 comeback win at the Parc des Princes.
Italy found themselves a goal down inside 12 seconds on Friday as Bradley Barcola dispossessed Giovanni Di Lorenzo before finishing coolly, but Federico Dimarco's brilliant volleyed equaliser precipitated a stirring fightback.
Davide Frattesi put the Azzurri ahead early in the second half, then Giacomo Raspadori completed the scoring as Italy claimed their first-ever win at the Parc des Princes.
The Azzurri had previously drawn three and lost one of their four matches at the venue, only scoring two goals, while they had not beaten France since doing so in the group stage at Euro 2008.
Italy endured a dismal Euro 2024 campaign, scraping through their group before being dumped out by Switzerland in the last 16, but Spalletti saw a different side to his players on Friday.
"I saw an intensity during training that we didn't have last time," Spalletti said. "Perhaps the players' physical shape had a role.
"The season has just started, and there is new enthusiasm. The other time, it was the end [of the season], and there had been things that perhaps led some to switch off.
"They bounced back tonight. Regardless of how this game went, we would have continued playing forever.
"It's in the DNA of this group I've chosen for the Nations League and the World Cup qualifiers.
"Three, four or five players have stayed home this time, but generally we are convinced that this group can give us so much."
Italy's victory was marred somewhat by Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori being injured by a crunching tackle by Ousmane Dembele, with the former Bologna man writing in pain before being helped from the field.
Spalletti, however, is hopeful the injury may not prove to be a serious one.
"We need to assess Riccardo, but with our staff, we have a good chance to have him back with us for the next game," Spalletti said.
Italy face Israel in their next match in Group A2 on Monday, with France hosting Belgium in another heavyweight tussle on the same day.
St Lucia, St Maarten, Grenada, Haiti register contrasting League B wins
St Lucia, St Maarten, Grenada, and Haiti all opened their 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League accounts with victories in League B on Friday.
Grenada blanked St Martin 2-0, and St Lucia edged Curacao 2-1 in the Group B double-header at Kirani James Athletics Stadium.
Over in Group C, Haiti were 4-1 winners over Puerto Rico, and St Maarten blanked Aruba 2-0 at Estadio Centroamericano in Puerto Rico.
St Lucia vs. Curaçao
In what was the first-ever Nations League encounter between the two nations, St Lucia were the better team on the day.
Arkell Jude-Boyd broke the deadlock for St Lucia in the 24th when he fended off a defender on his way to poking an effort through the legs of Eloy Room in goal for Curacao to make it 1-0 at the break.
Jude-Boyd went close to extending the lead in the second half, but Room came up big for Curacao on that occasion.
However, St Lucia inevitably doubled the lead in the 55th through Caniggia Elva, who finished off a loose ball.
Curacao pulled one back in the 63rd when Joshua Brenet fired home from Leandro Bacuna’s pass.
St Maarten vs. Aruba
St Maarten and Aruba failed to separate themselves for most of the contest, as their respective goalkeepers Tyrell Richardson and Matthew Lentink were in good knick between the sticks.
It wasn’t until the 81st that Gerwin Lake broke the deadlock for St Maarten when he rifled an effort past Lentink, who had no chance at a save on that occasion.
Ronan Olivacce added a second for St Maarten in the 90+3, with an easy tap-in from Chovanie Amatkarijo’s pass.
St Martin vs. Grenada
Grenada were always favoured to secure the three points and that they did.
It took them only five minutes to open the scoring as Lucas Akins capitalised on a defensive error.
The menacing Regan Charles-Cook made the points safe when he tucked home from close range in the 38th minute.
St Martin tried to stay in the contest but found Grenada’s defence and goalkeeper Chad Phillip in defiant mode.
Puerto Rico vs. Haiti
After being relegated from League A, Haiti is intent of getting back to the top and they demonstrated that with a comfortable beating of Puerto Rico.
Interestingly, it was Puerto Rico that struck first in the 29th when Gerald Diaz fired home from a rebound.
Haiti responded with a second half flurry, which was started by Danley Jean Jacques in the 51st.
Frantzdy Pierrot added a second in the 60th, taking his Nations League tally to eight goals, before Don Louicius finished off a tidy team build up in the 76th to put Haiti 3-1 up.
Duckens Nazon then capped the win with an 83rd-minute strike to put Haiti on course for promotion.
Kane inspired by Messi and Ronaldo as England enter new era
Harry Kane is drawing inspiration from the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he prepares to lead England into a new era.
Kane has captained England to two European Championship finals only to finish on the losing side on both occasions, versus Italy in a penalty shoot-out at Euro 2020 and against Spain earlier this year.
The Bayern Munich striker failed to hit top form at Euro 2024 in Germany and was substituted early in both the final and in a 2-1 semi-final victory over the Netherlands.
Kane scored twice from open play at the tournament – in a group-stage draw with Denmark and an extra-time victory over Slovakia in the last 16 – but was criticised for a series of lethargic displays.
However, the 31-year-old remains committed to the Three Lions as they enter the post-Gareth Southgate era and hopes to continue representing his country for many more years.
"It's tough whenever you get so close to reaching one of the pinnacles of your career and it's taken away," Kane told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It makes me even more motivated. It puts the fire in the belly to try and get there. Our task is to get better.
"I think when you look at players like Ronaldo, [Luka] Modric and Messi, all these players who are playing in their mid to late 30s, that's the inspiration for me because it shows that you can really play at a high level for a long time.
"I want to play football for as long as possible and at the highest level for as long as possible. I use those players for motivation and inspiration to be able to do that.
"I feel I am in a really good place both mentally and physically to have another great season, hopefully that continues for many years to come."
England face the Republic of Ireland in their first game since Southgate's departure on Saturday, with former under-21 boss Lee Carsley in interim charge.
Kane admits it was strange to return to the Three Lions camp without their long-serving former boss, under whom he netted 61 goals, the most ever scored by any England player under a single manager.
"It felt a little bit strange when we first came into camp," Kane said. "The boss has his own ideas and identity.
"We did a lot of good things with Gareth but ultimately the new coach has fresh ideas. It's been good. There are a lot of young players excited to be here and express themselves."
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