Former Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet believes that the club must make a decision over Antonio Conte's future before the end of March.
With Spurs slipping meekly out of the Champions League and FA Cup in the past week and failing to score a goal in their past three matches, Conte's immediate future has been called into question with the Italian not expected to be at the club next season. With the fans unimpressed by many of the performances this season with boos at half-time, full-time and after one late substitution during Wednesday night's European exit to AC Milan, is it unclear whether the supporters' mood could also swing things.
Poyet, who played for Spurs and was an assistant manager under Juande Ramos, feels that the club needs to take control of the decision rather than waiting until the end of the season as Conte has suggested.
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"We are already in March, and I think that under normal circumstances, everybody would know if Conte was going to be there next year or not," Poyet told Neuecasinos24.com. "There has to be a deadline this month on his future, in March – with Antonio and the club, one way or another. I’m not talking just about for Antonio – it is important for the players, the recruitment and the overall wellbeing of the club.
"It’s a strange situation. During the games he doesn’t influence the play, he doesn’t seem to be thinking about how to win the game. Maybe the situation with his health has extended his decision-making time longer but now that he is back, and before the international break, a decision has to be made.
"It is something the players are going to be talking about, especially after being knocked out of the Champions League. If they aren’t playing and don’t have a great relationship with the coach, they may be thinking it will be better if there is a change. Or there may be players who do have a good relationship and are trying to influence him to sign the contract.
"I'm trying to think why it is still in doubt. Are they waiting for something or do they already know and it has not been made public? It is very strange. We are not talking about a situation where a manager has finished his contract and everybody knows he is leaving."
With Spurs now having gone 15 years since winning a trophy - the 2008 League Cup the last under Ramos and Poyet - the Uruguayan wants the club to prioritise silverware over a top four spot.
"Sometimes it’s the club’s fault, I’m not saying all of the time, but some of the time," he said. "To them, sometimes it's more important to get into the Champions League than to win a trophy because of the financial side. That is fair and reasonable, but for the players and the fans, it is more important to win a trophy.
"You are not a winner until you win something, it’s simple. You need to win because when a team wins it brings people together in a way that you become a better team the following season. I promise you that, because you become friends, you celebrate the trophy, unify and start having positive feelings for your team-mates and that brings an extra dimension to the team.
"I know you can’t start the season by saying if we don’t get the Champions League, we are going to win a cup, but sometimes it is worth setting up an agreement between club and coach on what to prioritise. Give some rest to some key players and place an extra focus on winning a cup. I know plenty of Spurs fans want to win something!"
On Wednesday night Richarlison hit out over his lack of game time this season and Poyet agrees with the Brazilian.
"Richarlison is the type of player who needs to play," he said. "Even if he needs to play wide because of Harry Kane, he needs to play to understand his position to increase his understanding with the other players for the important games. He hasn’t been playing much and only came off the bench against AC Milan. He has had an injury and he is playing on the left or the right when he does come on which is not helping him either.
"At the moment I think everybody might expect a little bit more from him but we need to understand that it has been very difficult for him because of the situation. Time will tell. He is not happy because as a player you want to play and score goals, especially as a striker, especially when a team pays that money for you."
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