Credit: ESPN UK

Evan Lloyd

Thu 12 March 2026 10:45, UK

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Tottenham Hotspur legend Jurgen Klinsmann made it clear that he would not reject his former club if they came calling.

The Lilywhites are enduring perhaps their most difficult season in the Premier League era, with the threat of relegation growing by the game.

Thomas Frank was sacked last month after his side had lost two straight games, but Tottenham have lost another four since Igor Tudor arrived as an interim manager until the summer.

Matters got worse on Tuesday when the North London club were battered 5-2 by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

Tottenham’s next manager may well be left with a deserted squad and a club on the verge of ruin, depending on how the next couple of months develop.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s Tottenham answer

Ex-Everton chief executive Keith Wyness exclusively told Football Insider this week that Tottenham must sack Tudor.

The Croatian was brought in to stabilise the situation at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but, if anything, the chaos has only grown.

Tottenham were smashed by Arsenal in his debut game in charge, and losses to Fulham, Crystal Palace and now Atletico have been catastrophic.

Yet decision-makers seem hell-bent on letting Tudor see out the season, even if it means relegation from the Premier League.

A trip to Anfield is next up on Sunday, before next week sees Tottenham host Atletico in the second leg, before a relegation six-pointer against Nottingham Forest.

Defeat in that game would place the North London club directly in line for the drop, and decision-makers may well be forced into action.

Klinsmann, who made 68 appearances for Tottenham in the 1990s and scored 38 goals, told ESPN on Wednesday that he would not turn down the job.

“Who wouldn’t want the job? It’s Tottenham,” he said when asked.

Klinsmann’s managerial record

Much of Klinsmann’s managerial career came with international teams, with the United States for the longest time.

The former forward initially managed Germany, spending just two years in charge and leaving in 2006 despite an impressive performance at the 2006 World Cup.

He was then appointed by another of his former teams in Bayern Munich, taking charge of them in 2008 but lasting just over a year before he was dismissed.

Klinsmann is best known for his time with the United States, whom he, most notably, led to the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup before he was fired in 2018.

The 61-year-old would go on to manage Hertha Berlin and South Korea, but is yet to return to management since his 2024 exit.