Premier League
Five practical candidates Tottenham could turn to if Igor Tudor departs
Tottenham at a crossroads after four defeats under Igor Tudor; five managerial options outlined now.
Tottenham sit perilously close to the relegation zone after four Premier League defeats in as many matches under Igor Tudor. With just nine games left and the club a point above the drop, the board face a clear choice: persist with a manager whose brief tenure has produced only 360 minutes of football, or change course to arrest a slide that began long before his arrival.
Calls for somebody with ‘Spurs DNA’ have been loud, with fringe suggestions including Tim Sherwood, Harry Redknapp and Glenn Hoddle. Those options appear unlikely given their time away from the dugout, but the club does have candidates with Tottenham ties to consider.
Ryan Mason remains a familiar figure. He spent the majority of his playing career at Tottenham, served on the coaching staff for seven years and twice acted as caretaker, managing 13 games and winning six of them. Mason’s most recent managerial spell came at West Bromwich Albion, where he oversaw 27 matches before his dismissal in January.
Robbie Keane is another former player with coaching experience abroad. The Irishman made more than 300 appearances for Tottenham, had a short player-manager role in India, spent a year at Maccabi Tel Aviv and then took charge at Ferencváros. Keane guided Ferencváros to a league title after taking over midway through last season, has them leading again this term and has the club competing in the Europa League last 16. He has preferred permanent roles over interim appointments but is someone Tottenham should consider.
For a more conservative appointment, Sean Dyche is available after his recent sacking by Nottingham Forest. The 54-year-old built his reputation at Burnley and Everton and would likely deliver defensive organisation and resilience.
An alternative is Roberto De Zerbi, the tactically ambitious coach who left Marseille after a difficult spell at the Stade Vélodrome. De Zerbi is known for risky, high-octane attacking football but requires time to implement his methods. Finally, Mauricio Pochettino remains a figure adored by supporters following a successful five-year spell, and there is a sense of unfinished business between the current USMNT manager and the north Londoners.
Each option carries clear trade-offs between short-term survival and longer-term identity. Tottenham must weigh those choices carefully as the run-in approaches.
Atlético Madrid
Four possible next stops for Alexis Mac Allister after Liverpool contract uncertainty
Liverpool have not offered Alexis Mac Allister a new deal, leaving interest from Manchester City and Atlético Madrid.
Alexis Mac Allister’s future has become a talking point after Liverpool chose not to hand him a new contract. The midfielder remains tied to Anfield until 2028, but the absence of an extension has left the situation open to interpretation.
His standing at the club has not always been in doubt. Mac Allister was outstanding in his first season and played a central role as Liverpool secured their second Premier League title in 2024-25. Even so, there was a clear drop-off during Arne Slot’s difficult second season in charge, which explains why the club may be reluctant to move quickly.
The 27-year-old has since apologised for remarks he made, saying they were the result of an emotional reaction to a difficult moment. That has not removed the broader issue, though. With no renewal agreed and the contract already ticking towards its final years, interest from elsewhere remains a realistic possibility.
One club mentioned in connection with him is Manchester City, who were viewed as considering him as a possible alternative to Enzo Fernández in the summer. However, they ultimately moved on to their preferred option, and after restructuring their midfield so quickly, a move for a player with Mac Allister’s profile appears unlikely in the near term.
Atlético Madrid also sit among the potential destinations. Diego Simeone has not been shy about welcoming compatriots, and the club may soon need to think about succession planning around Koke, whose long service remains remarkable. At the same time, Atlético are already well stocked in midfield, with Morten Hjulmand and Kang Lee-in added in the summer, while Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo Mendoza and Ottó Vargas are all part of the picture.
That makes Mac Allister less of a specific target and more of a market opportunity. Even so, Simeone’s interest is easy to imagine.
Barcelona
Gabriel’s United exit stance points toward Europe’s elite
Gabriel’s wish to leave United is tied to the club’s decline, with Madrid and Barcelona possible moves.
JJ Gabriel’s desire to leave Manchester United is being framed as more than a simple contract dispute. According to the report, the teenager and those around him believe the club is too far removed from the standard he wants to chase, with their view shaped by United’s long decline in stature over the past 13 years.
The Daily Mail says that drop-off is the “driving force” behind Gabriel’s stance. The player is understood to want to “learn from the best,” and that assessment appears central to why an immediate exit has become the direction of travel. Earlier reports had linked his frustration to limited first-team opportunities, but this latest version of events places United’s wider decline at the heart of the issue.
Gabriel has already built a reputation for dominating at every age level, including the U-21s, where he scored twice in two appearances against players five years older. That background has made his case even more notable, especially as recent examples elsewhere show that teenagers can be trusted early. Lamine Yamal made his breakthrough at Barcelona as a 15-year-old, while Max Dowman had already featured for Arsenal in the Champions League and Premier League before turning 16.
The report says United are seen as “far away” from five of Europe’s elite clubs that Gabriel would consider joining. Barcelona and Real Madrid are both said to have been strongly linked with the player, who turns 16 in October and can move across Europe through an Irish passport. Gabriel’s father, Joe O’Cearuill, is believed to have already met with both Spanish clubs, with the preference thought to be Madrid.
That said, the report also notes a potential complication. Real Madrid are currently led by José Mourinho, a coach known for valuing experienced professionals over unproven youngsters. Barcelona, meanwhile, are under Hansi Flick, who has two teenagers in his starting XI and regularly places trust in La Masia. Whether Gabriel would break through there remains an open question.
Liverpool
Robertson on the grief that changed Liverpool’s season
Robertson says Liverpool’s 2025-26 season was shaped by grief after Jota’s death and the dressing room was broken.
Andy Robertson has described the emotional weight of Liverpool’s 2025-26 campaign after Diogo Jota’s death, saying the club’s struggles went far beyond tactics or transfer business.
The former Liverpool fullback said the atmosphere inside the dressing room was shattered in the aftermath of the tragedy, and that the pain affected every part of the team’s season. Liverpool finished fifth, ended without a trophy and later saw Arne Slot, Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konaté and Robertson depart.
“It’s difficult to describe or talk about it, because what we went through was horrendous,” the Scotland international said of Jota’s death on the Stick to Football podcast. “If I’m talking about the new signings, they’re coming into a club that is heartbroken, and they’re trying.
“That’s when I felt so sorry for these guys because they had signed and they were signing for big money. If I’m talking about football, when it took them months to settle in, because we were like ghosts.
“We didn’t care about football. That was the truth of it. We didn’t care about football because we just lost one of our best mates in the changing room.”
Liverpool’s decline was severe even before the emotional backdrop was fully considered. After winning the league in 2024-25 and spending close to £450 million ($600 million) last summer on players including Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitiké, the side had to wait until the final day of 2025-26 to secure Champions League qualification.
They closed the campaign on 60 points, 25 behind title winners Arsenal. Under Slot, the club’s defeat total rose from four in his debut league season to 12, with half of those losses coming in the opening months after Jota’s passing.
“All footballers have that edge, don’t we, and I think when you lose that edge, sometimes you can’t perform to your best,” Robertson continued. “I think last season we lost the edge. When I look back on it now, I think we lost that determination a little bit, because I know at times we were going, ‘What’s the point?’
“Look at what his family are going through, look at his kids, but we were grieving. It was our mate, at the end of the day. He’s not just a footballer to us. He was a teammate, a friend. He was everything. For us it was incredibly difficult.”
Jota’s memory remains part of the club’s response, with Liverpool retiring number 20 ahead of last season and wearing a special honorary patch on their shirts.
