Tottenham hero promises ‘nasty, ugly’ Spurs as shock Keane alternative to replace Tudor | OneFootball

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jurgen Klinsmann says he would be open to the Spurs challenge as a shock replacement for Igor Tudor and has vowed to make them a “nasty, ugly” bunch in a bid to stave off the threat of relegation.

Tudor oversaw his fourth defeat in four as Tottenham boss on Tuesday as Atletico Madrid put them to the sword in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie to run out 5-2 winners.

Three consecutive defeats in the Premier League leaves them just one point above the relegation zone ahead of their trip to play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Robbie Keane has been heavily linked with a return to Spurs and Sean Dyche is also in the frame as an interim appointment, but Klinsmann – who is out of a job after being sacked by South Korea in February 2024 – has now thrown his hat in the ring as a shock alternative.

He told ESPN: “Who wouldn’t want the job? It is Tottenham.

“Whoever you choose, you need a person who can connect to everyone emotionally, that knows the club, that feels the club, that feels the people.

“Because, to get out of this mess, they need to develop a fighting spirit, a really nasty, ugly, fighting spirit and that goes only over the emotions.

“So you don’t need to have to bring in the mastermind of tactical stuff or whatever, you need to have somebody who gets everybody onboard and go and get these games done in a positive way and get everybody behind the fact that they are in danger of going down to the Championship.”

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A managerial CV to inspire little confidence

Although Klinsmann would represent something a ‘vibes appointment’ having earned hero status at White Hart Lane across two spells, scoring 38 goals in 68 games for the north London club, and many Spurs fans will be fully on board with his promise to improve their “fighting spirit”, his is not a managerial CV that will inspire too much confidence.

His last club role saw him resign after just ten games in charge of Hertha Berlin in the 2019/20 season and before that his only other experience at club level was as Bayern Munich boss all the way back in 2009.

He was sacked by the Bundesliga giants after less than a season on the back o a 5-1 Champions League hammering at the hands of Barcelona.

His longest stint as a manager was as USMNT boss when he oversaw 98 games, but that ended nearly a decade ago and is no preparation for a relegation dogfight in any case.

Tottenham latest: Keane issues; double manager setback

TEAMtalk understand that while Keane is keen on the permanent role at Spurs regardless of whether that’s in the Premier League or Championship next season, Tottenham are only open to a short-term contract until the end of the current campaign as they have alternative targets in mind should they avoid the drop.

Insiders indicate that Keane isn’t willing to leave Ferencvaros for an interim position.

Sources close to the club have downplayed links to Dyche, though it has been suggested that the former Everton boss, who was sacked by Nottingham Forest only last month, is still in the frame if Tottenham struggle to attract an alternative.

Meanwhile, Spurs’ dreams of bringing Pochettino back to the club have been threatened by a report claiming an elite European side had made the Argentine their top pick as a new manager