It came as little surprise when Tottenham Hotspur confirmed earlier today that they had parted company with head coach Andre Villas-Boas.
The club took the decision in the wake of yesterday afternoon's 5-0 home defeat at the hands of Liverpool.
As always in these cases, the rumour mill has already gone into overdrive regarding who will replace the departing Portuguese manager at White Hart Lane. Here, Sports Mole has picked out five of the early contenders.
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He hardly covered himself in glory during his four-year stint in charge of England, but Capello's record at club level cannot be called into question. Having taken charge of the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan, the 67-year-old has the experience of managing at the highest level. He is also known to be a close friend of Tottenham's director of football Franco Baldini - the pair worked together with the Three Lions.
Odds: 6/4
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In terms of the style of football that the Spurs supporters demand, Laudrup could well be the most suitable fit. The Dane likes his sides to get the ball down and play a short, passing style. He guided Swansea City to the League Cup last season, but there is a school of thought that he has taken the Welsh outfit as far as he can. If the North Londoners were to come calling, the former Barcelona and Real Madrid playmaker may find it hard to reject their advances.
Odds: 9/2
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His time in the Premier League with Chelsea may have been interim and brief in 2009, but Hiddink made a big impression. He guided the Blues to FA Cup success and generally restored order to the club. He was recently dismissed by Anzhi Makhachkala, which in turn means that he is out of work. With Spurs chairman Daniel Levy known to be extremely money-conscious, the fact that he would not have to pay any compensation to land the 67-year-old may well prove to be a key factor.
Odds: 7/1
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There is a saying in football that stresses that a footballer should never return to his old stomping ground. A hero among the Spurs faithful as a player, Hoddle took charge of the club for two years between 2001 and 2003. Having been out of the managerial game since he left Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2006, the former England boss is known to be keen to return to the coaching side of the game. It would be a gamble, but as with Hiddink, no compensation would be required.
Odds: 10/1
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The German had two playing spells at White Hart Lane, which saw him earn cult status among large parts of the Tottenham faithful. He has failed to take his undoubted playing talent into the role as manager, though. The German had a spell in charge of his country, before he went on to fail to produce the goods during one season at the helm of Bayern Munich. The 49-year-old is now the coach of the USA national side, whom he has guided to next year's World Cup in Brazil. With all of that in mind, Klinsmann should be regarded as an outside chance at this present moment in time.
Odds: 16/1
Written by
Liam Apicella
Liam Apicella
