Tottenham appear to be heading towards yet another new managerial era with Antonio Conte's future hanging in the balance but what would any new man have to do to get the club back on track this season?
Conte has remained in Italy so far in this international break - which is something he often does when there are so few first teamers to work with - and his Spurs players remain in the dark over his future, with most presuming he will be leaving the club following his explosive press conference a week ago. The Italian told football.london that all of his players were "selfish", "playing for themselves" and he pointed to the culture of a club that has "won nothing" major in the past 20 years.
Various managers have been tipped to replace Conte if he does leave as expected, including free agents Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique, while Tottenham coach Ryan Mason has been mooted as potentially taking the caretaker reins once again as he did in 2021.
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Whoever is in charge going forward, here are four things that need to happen if they are to lead Tottenham to another top four finish in these final 10 matches.
Fix the defence
Tottenham have scored the third most goals in the Premier League this season (52), but the problem has mainly come in keeping the ball out of their own net at the other end. Spurs have conceded 40 goals and only six teams in the entire league have let in more during this season.
Whoever is in charge needs to tighten up the Tottenham backline, which should have captain Hugo Lloris back between the sticks soon after return this week for 45 minutes in a training ground friendly against Ipswich.
Whether a new man will switch to a back four with more bodies in front of the defence, change up the personnel or simply concentrate on keeping the ball in the opposition half rather Spurs sitting deep too often, something needs to change in a leaky back line.
Reignite Son Heung-min
After last season's sensational campaign, sharing the Golden Boot with 23 goals with Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min admits he's had a tough time of it this time around and it clear his confidence has been low at times.
That he's only scored in four Premier League games this season will disappoint him, although his numbers are still better than most attackers with 10 goals and four assists from 37 matches. However, Son admitted during the season that his finishing has been "poor" and that he felt he had "disappointed his team-mates and the fans".
Someone needs to find the way to unlocking Son's best form again, whether that's through playing him in a front two with Kane or simply getting him back to basics and improving his confidence step by step. Spurs are at their best when they have both Son and Kane firing on all cylinders and reigniting Son and that partnership should go a long way to keeping them in the top four.
Convince Harry Kane of the future
It's crucial period in the relationship between Harry Kane and Tottenham Hotspur. The 29-year-old became England's all-time top goalscorer this week, having done so for Tottenham last month, but he is now approaching the final 12 months of his contract at the north London club.
Whoever is in charge of Spurs for the next two months needs to show Kane that the club has a positive direction to head in and its one that can bring him success if he spearheads it.
Kane is understood to be open to discussing a new deal with Tottenham but the best way to get him to put pen to paper again is to get him excited about the project again and convince him that he doesn't need to go anywhere else to achieve his goals.
Get the fans enjoying watching Spurs again
It seems simple enough but whoever is in charge must first and foremost get the Tottenham enjoying supporting the club again.
This season has been a slog and for most supporters it's become a chore to watch their team's often dull and predictable performances, all while meekly slipping out of the three cup competitions.
Spurs have got plenty of attacking options in their squad, even if they lack in creative midfielders, but there's enough in the squad for the final 10 matches to get them playing some more entertaining football, particularly in front of the home fans with three of the next five matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There's a growing divide right now between the jaded fanbase and the north London club and something or someone needs to bring everyone together again.
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