IGOR TUDOR looks set to stay as Tottenham boss despite losing his first three games in interim charge.
The Croat made it a hat-trick of defeats with Thursday night’s catastrophic 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace.
It prompted talk that Spurs could call time on the 47-year-old’s short-term tenure already.
But Tudor is scheduled to take Tottenham’s pre-match press conference on Monday ahead of their Champions League last-16 first leg with Atletico Madrid.
It is a big hint the former Marseille chief will remain in post.
Spurs already made a change in the dugout in February when Thomas Frank was sacked and replaced by caretaker Tudor until the end of the season.
Tudor has a track record of making quick impacts at clubs, having done so at Juventus, Lazio and Udinese – though he had never played or managed in the Premier League.
But he has failed to take any points from his three league games so far, with the loss at Palace following up defeats to Arsenal and Fulham.
Spurs took the lead against the Eagles through Dominic Solanke but caved after Micky van de Ven was sent off, with Ismaila Sarr’s double and a Jorgen Strand Larsen strike inflicting more misery.
It left Tottenham just one point above the drop zone with nine games to go.
SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN
Yet after the game, Tudor was optimistic about his side’s chances of getting out of trouble thanks to the battling display he saw with ten men in the second half.
He said: “It will sound strange, but I believe more after this game than I believed before. I saw something.”
Striker Solanke revealed afterwards that the team had a dressing room inquest following the latest defeat – Spurs’ fifth in a row.
The England man, 28, said: “We’ve just had a big conversation.
“We know the position we are in is definitely not where we want to be so we need to figure out how we are going to get out of it as soon as possible.
“We know there’s been difficulties but we’re not in a position to make any excuses anymore.
“We need to do the job on the pitch.
“It is easy to say we want to be better but we want to be better on the pitch.
“We need to fight and realise the position we’re in.
“We know this club is not used to being in this position so we need to understand it and understand it’s not going to be easy and we need to fight every single game, every single minute, to make sure we improve.”
Spurs visit Atletico on Tuesday before travelling up to Liverpool next Sunday.
The North Londoners’ 11-game winless streak in the league is their longest since 1935.
Should they go down and lose their status as a Premier League ever-present, it could cost the club an estimated £250million.
Former Tottenham captain Michael Dawson said: “It would be catastrophic if this team got relegated.
“They’ve never been in this situation. They were worried last year of finishing 17th. The three bottom teams were miles off it. They were terrible.
“There wasn’t even anyone competing to stay in the Premier League.
“This year, there is. West Ham have picked up points and that is why people are worried. Forest have picked up points. Teams in and around it, Leeds.
“People are worried, because anyone can beat anyone from seventh downwards.”
