Tottenham warned over Pochettino saying YES to return as Igor Tudor delivers eye-opening promise to fans | OneFootball

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Bobby Zamora has provided one significant reason why Mauricio Pochettino may be hesitant to commit to a return to north London straightaway, while Igor Tudor has delivered a promise to fans in his first interview as interim boss.

Tudor will take charge of Spurs until the end of the season with the brief of pushing them up the table and seeing how much further he can improve on an already impressive Champions League run.

And while our sources can reveal that Tottenham have added Newcastle boss Eddie Howe to their list of potential managerial targets for the summer, the name on the lips of most fans of the club is former boss Pochettino.

Indeed, it’s already been claimed that Spurs have made repeated contact with the Argentine over a return to N17, as Pochettino currently gears up for this summer’s World Cup with co-hosts hosts USA.

But Zamora feels that the US national federation are likely to be concerned that the 53-year-old will have one eye on a return to north London, if he agrees to what will be an emotional return, and not on the immediate matter at hand.

When asked about Pochettino potentially returning to Spurs, Zamora told Goal.com: “He can’t start until after the World Cup. If you are his nation, you are saying ‘I don’t want you taking your eye off the ball’ – I know you’re not full-time, every single day in the office, but I would be saying I don’t want you taking your eye off the ball.

“Although he’s the fans’ favourite and they want him there, it’s going to be a tricky one. I think the likes of Poch would want time, a good pre-season. Whoever goes in there, they will want a whole pre-season. It’s hard because of the World Cup.

“All of these players aren’t going to get back until the end of July, if a few of the boys get quite far. They will want a break, they will want two weeks off at least. It’s a tricky job for anyone.

“Poch obviously had a great time there. It didn’t end in the greatest way, but I can understand why the fans want him back.”

Tudor promising front-foot football at Tottenham

Meanwhile, in setting out his philosophy at his new club, Tudor has promised attacking football at Tottenham in a move that is light years away from Thomas Frank’s much more conservative approach.

Speaking in his first interview with the club, Tudor said: “I like to play offensive football. That’s my first goal. I like to score goals, but in the same way, for sure, you need to give organisation in defence.

“I believe in style — style is more important than the system, of course. Sunday and the game is a consequence of the training. So, that needs to be focused.

“I believe that in football, in 2026, it’s changed a lot… If you can run 115 kilometres as a team, it’s better than 105… but that without quality you can do nothing.

“Offensive football, yes, but smart. So, that’s the key.”

Tudor also admits that he fully recognises the perilous position Tottenham find themselves in, sitting just five points above the relegation with 12 games remaining.

He added: “The position of the club in this moment is one that nobody can accept. Every Tottenham fan cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that. But it’s not enough to just be aware of that.

“The situation is not easy because we have a lot of injured players, so we need first to find the best system to suit the players that are available in this moment. Maybe this can sound strange, but I believe that the thing that we need to be focused on is the training. So the training from today, that’s the key.

“The coach needs to show the path, where is the way we want to go, how we want to go, and the players need to accept this.”

Tottenham could be set for disappointment in their quest to bring Leon Goretzka to the club in the summer of 2026, with a second source claiming that Arsenal are in a better position to convince the Bayern Munich midfielder to switch to the Emirates Stadium.

Elsewhere, Chelsea are reportedly ready to go head-to-head with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a Bayern centre-back this summer, according to a trusted German source.