Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino on the brink as club draw up a list of replacement managers

Defeat at West Ham this weekend could finally spell the end for Pochettino at Tottenham

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Mauricio Pochettino has held a series of meetings with chairman Daniel Levy over the direction and situation at Tottenham Hotspur, with many at the club now seeing Saturday’s game at West Ham United as a crunch match as regards the manager’s future.

While no one will outright say a defeat will bring the Argentine’s departure, the result could have a huge bearing on any decision taken over the next few weeks.

Spurs are without a win in the league since the end of September and, with that only a continuation of hugely poor domestic form over the whole of 2019, it has led to a feeling on all sides that the current regime is in real danger of having run its course.

The Independent has been told that the situation has reached such a level that intermediaries have started to investigate potential replacements. Spurs have long admired Red Bull Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann and Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, as younger managers suited to the club’s overall approach.

While both could be difficult to extract from their current clubs, all of Max Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho and Ralph Rangnick are understood to be interested in any prospective vacancy.

It would still take continued poor form to bring it to that, especially given how expensive Pochettino’s contract is.

Any mid-season sacking, for example, is estimated to cost between £12m and £18m. Levy would still prefer to keep the current situation and not make any mid-season change, while there is also an appreciation for just how well they’ve worked together for the last five years. All involved still want to ensure it works out.

Spurs’ existing form has dropped off to such an extent, however, that it has been discussed at length by Levy and Pochettino. Other key subjects have been recruitment, and the reality that they still have to offload before any major purchases.

An increasing sticking point for Pochettino has been his inability to carry out a long-planned overhaul of the squad, due to the economic restrictions of the club, and Levy’s insistence on good deals for outgoing players.

The Argentine feels it has been a huge factor in this year’s poor form. If that poor form continues on Saturday, it could well prove a decisive period in Pochettino’s time at the club.