Xabi Alonso stance on replacing Thomas Frank revealed as Pochettino waits in wings

Xabi Alonso’s stance on taking the job at Tottenham Hotspur if Thomas Frank is sacked has been revealed, after TEAMtalk sources provided a definitive update on the Dane’s future in north London.

Saturday’s demoralising home defeat to London rivals West Ham United means Frank’s side have won just one of their last seven Premier League outings and are now just 10 points clear of the 18th-placed Hammers with 16 games remaining in the season.

Our insider Graeme Bailey has informed us that Tottenham’s leadership group believe the time has come for decisive action, arguing that the team’s trajectory under Frank is no longer sustainable.

All that adds up to the former Brentford chief being shown the door sooner rather than later, although whether that comes on the eve of a huge Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night remains to be seen.

However, with Frank now seemingly on the brink of losing his job the focus is very much on who could replace him in north London.

With our sources also revealing that Oliver Glasner is poised to leave Crystal Palace imminently, rather than at the end of the season, as was planned, Tottenham could look to make a move for the Austrian.

There are fears, though, over the type of football Glasner plays and whether Tottenham could just end up re-hashing a better version of Frank.

One big name who has been mentioned, though, is Xabi Alonso, who is out of a job after being sacked by Real Madrid following just seven months in charge of the Spanish giants.

The Independent reports that the prospect of appointing Alonso has been discussed by Tottenham’s board, however, the 44-year-old Spaniard ‘feels he will have better options over the coming months’.

One of those options could well be the Liverpool job after Arne Slot suffered another disappointing result on Saturday, with the Anfield outfit held at home by bottom club Burnley.

Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Pochettino primed for Tottenham return

As for Spurs, there also remains a clamour among certain sections of the support to try and bring Mauricio Pochettino back to the club.

The Argentine spent five years in north London, taking the club to their first-ever Champions League final in that time, before being axed in 2019.

Despite currently being in charge of the USA national team as they prepare for a home World Cup this summer, talkSPORT reports that Pochettino is very much open to a return to Tottenham.

However, that would not come until after the summer showpiece, given that 53-year-old is not prepared to walk away from his current role on the eve of the tournament.

Should that be the route that Spurs chiefs decide to take, it will mean appointing an interim coach for the remainder of the season, if Frank goes.

Ryan Mason is a name being banded around again after his two previous stints at the helm, but he’s just been sacked after doing a dismal job at West Brom, so replacing one failure with another might not be the best idea for an already volatile Spurs fanbase.

One interesting candidate is a coach recently brought on board in Dutchman John Heitinga, who was part of Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning staff at Liverpool and is highly regarded within the game.

In terms of Frank’s future, however, the axe really could fall at any time, unless Tottenham decide they dare not disturb preparations for Tuesday night’s clash with Dortmund.

Click here to read article