Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly giving consideration to sacking interim boss Cristian Stellini.
Upon the departure of Antonio Conte during the March international break, Spurs made the decision to retain the services of his assistant.
On some level, the call made by chairman Daniel Levy made sense with the Italian having made a positive impact during Conte's absence due to illness in the weeks before his exit.
However, Spurs have collected just four points from as many matches since Stellini returned to the senior role in the dugout, his solitary win coming in highly controversial circumstances against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Despite a home defeat to Bournemouth, Stellini retained the backing of the Spurs board, but the situation is now believed to have changed.
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On Sunday afternoon, Spurs suffered one of their most embarrassing defeats in the Premier League, conceding five times in the first 21 minutes against Newcastle United before losing by a 6-1 scoreline.
As a result, Spurs now sit six points adrift of Newcastle United and Manchester United, the teams who currently occupy the final two Champions League spots in the Premier League table and have played one and two games fewer respectively.
Next up for Spurs is a home showdown with Man United, a fixture which has quickly become their most important of the season with defeat creating the possibility of missing out on European qualification altogether.
According to The Athletic, there is a chance that Stellini is removed from his position in the dugout before Spurs welcome the Red Devils.
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The club's hierarchy are allegedly weighing up whether they should make yet another change, aware of the impact that a defeat of the magnitude of Sunday's could have on the squad.
While Spurs are known to be in the market for a permanent replacement for Conte, that process is likely to continue in the long term rather than a fresh face being introduced in the near future.
The report adds that Ryan Mason - who is currently assisting Stellini - would be the leading contender to fill any void for the remainder of the season.
Mason took on such a role at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, recording four wins and three defeats from his seven games in all competitions.
The Englishman had been tipped to replace Conte in the short term before Spurs instead opted to retain the services of Stellini, who has since apologised for Spurs' humiliation at St James' Park.
Darren Plant
