Spurs’ own Carrick: 4-2-3-1 top target now wants to replace Tudor

It’s a well-known truth in the Premier League that certain clubs just don’t get relegated. The ‘Big Six’, for example, and Everton too.

However, Tottenham Hotspur can no longer claim to be among the elite outfits in the top flight. Last season, Ange Postecoglou’s side finished 17th, albeit well away from real danger of the drop.

But now, with the business months of 2025/26 ahead of us, the prospect of tumbling into the second tier after 48 years at the top of the English pyramid is an achingly real possibility. 16th-place Spurs are just one point ahead of Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, and both of those outfits are in better nick.

He’s only been in charge for three games, but the belief in Tudor’s capacity to turn things around is already non-existent.

Spurs already considering Tudor sack

Tottenham must have thought it couldn’t get any worse when Thomas Frank was sacked last month, but it has. Relegation fears have only been heightened under Tudor’s management.

Sporting director Johan Lange has been the architect of no shortage of questionable decisions in recent years, but if Tottenham are going to stave off the imminent threat of relegation, they may need to make a change.

According to TEAMtalk, Tudor’s dismissal is a very real possibility, with the 47-year-old Croatian drafted in as a no-nonsense, get-out-of-trouble appointment. It might have backfired.

If push comes to shove, Tottenham might move to appoint Robbie Keane, the report states, with the Ferencvaros manager building his reputation in Europe but attracted by the thought of returning to north London on a managerial basis.

Keane is comfortable in Hungary, doing fine work as he fosters his potential as a young manager. Should Spurs push ahead with this, Keane would want the job on a permanent basis, thus meaning ENIC Group would need to alter their plans. However, drastic times call for drastic measures.

Why Keane could be perfect for Spurs

Tottenham have attempted to repel the threat of relegation by appointing a craggy-faced coach skilled in crisis management. That one was always a gamble, and thus far, Tudor’s strange tactics and coaching methods have not gelled with the London squad.

Keane, who played many games as a striker for Tottenham, would be a left-field pick, but perhaps not as far off the curve as Tudor. After all, the Republic of Ireland legend gets it, and in that, he could be Spurs’ own Michael Carrick, who has sparked an upswing at Manchester United after the turbulence of Ruben Amorim’s tenure.

Whether Carrick will get the Old Trafford job on a full-time basis remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt that the Red Devils are not regretting their decision to appoint him in January, even with Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann among the candidates.

Carrick, of course, once plied his trade for Tottenham, but Keane has a deeper connection, and the fact that he would be willing to lead the Lilywhites forward suggests he might be the man for the job, rekindling the culture and identity that have been lost.

Key is the fact that Keane implements a 4-2-3-1 formation. That structure would have a more familiar feel about it, and it would perhaps allow many of these players to return to some semblance of form.

The ex-striker would bring a front-footed and entertaining style, and no one could say that he doesn’t understand Tottenham and the fanbase. He understands that To Dare Is To Do.

Keane is inexperienced, but he favours entertaining football without abandoning the right dose of pragmatism. Tottenham are running out of options this season, but this one might be the way forward.

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