Tottenham Hotspur have become one of the most chaotic clubs in English football when it comes to keeping a manager in a job. Since 2014, they have worked their way through an extraordinary number of coaches at every level, and keeping up with the turnover has become a story in itself.
For those placing Premier League bets on Spurs, managerial instability has long been a defining factor in how the club is assessed ahead of any given season.
Mauricio Pochettino (2014 to 2019)
Pochettino arrived from Southampton in 2014 and delivered the finest era of modern Tottenham football. He finished second in the Premier League in 2016-17 and guided the club to the Champions League final in 2019, where they lost to Liverpool. Despite never winning a trophy, his five-year tenure remains the standard by which every Spurs manager since has been judged. He was sacked in November 2019 following a poor start to the season.
Jose Mourinho (2019 to 2021)
Mourinho replaced Pochettino within hours of his dismissal and arrived with enormous expectations. His early results were promising, but consistency never followed, and he was sacked in April 2021 just days before a League Cup final without ever truly winning over the fanbase.
Ryan Mason — two interim spells (2021 and 2023)
Mason served as interim manager on two separate occasions. His first spell came in 2021, following Mourinho’s dismissal, where he took Spurs to the League Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley, which they lost. He returned for a second stint in 2023 after Stellini’s brief and disastrous spell, seeing out the remainder of the season before Spurs finished eighth and a permanent appointment was made.
Nuno Espirito Santo (2021)
Nuno arrived in the summer of 2021 with a solid reputation earned at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but lasted just four months. He won his first three league games and claimed the Manager of the Month award for August, but results collapsed quickly, and he was sacked in November after just 17 games.
Antonio Conte (2021 to 2023)
Conte took charge in November 2021 and injected real intensity into the club, securing a top-four finish in his first full season and returning Spurs to the Champions League. His relationship with the board deteriorated badly, though, and he departed by mutual consent in March 2023 following a remarkable public press conference in which he criticised his own players.
Cristian Stellini (interim, 2023)
Stellini, Conte’s assistant, was handed temporary charge following the Italian’s exit. His five-game stint was a disaster, highlighted by a 6-1 thrashing away at Newcastle United, and he was quickly relieved of his duties and replaced by Ryan Mason.
Ange Postecoglou (2023 to 2025)
Postecoglou was an outsider choice but made an immediate impact, with Spurs briefly topping the Premier League in the early weeks of 2023-24. He delivered Europa League glory in May 2025, beating Manchester United in the final to end a 17-year trophy drought. Despite that historic win, the board sacked him after Spurs lost 22 league matches and finished just one place above the relegation zone.
Thomas Frank (2025 to 2026)
Frank joined from Brentford in June 2025 with a strong reputation, but never got going at Spurs. He guided them through the Champions League group stage effectively, but their domestic form was dreadful, winning just two of their last 17 league games. He was sacked in February 2026 following a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle, with a win rate of 26.9 per cent, the worst of any permanent Spurs manager in the Premier League era. The club paid approximately £8 million in compensation.
Igor Tudor (February to March 2026)
Tudor was appointed interim head coach after Frank’s dismissal, bringing experience from previous roles at Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray, and Juventus. His mandate was simple: keep Spurs in the Premier League. He managed just six games before being sacked at the end of March, leaving the club in a precarious position with the drop zone still within reach.
Roberto De Zerbi (April 2026 to present)
Two days after Tudor’s exit, Spurs moved quickly and ambitiously, appointing Roberto De Zerbi on a five-year deal that made him one of the most expensive managerial appointments in the division. The Italian, who built his reputation at Brighton and Sassuolo with attacking, high-energy football, arrives under enormous pressure with relegation still a genuine threat.
His start could hardly have been worse. De Zerbi lost his first game in charge 1-0 to Sunderland, a result that officially put Spurs in the relegation zone, two points behind West Ham. Those watching the Premier League relegation odds will know just how precarious the situation remains.
The financial stakes attached to the deal only add to that pressure. De Zerbi stands to earn a substantial bonus if he keeps Spurs in the Premier League, but the contract also includes significant compensation clauses should he choose to walk away early. For a club already paying heavily for years of instability, it is a considerable gamble, and one that leaves very little room for error.
