Paul Merson has weighed in on the growing pressure surrounding Igor Tudor at Tottenham Hotspur, with the former Arsenal midfielder suggesting a different appointment could have united the club during a difficult spell.
Igor Tudor is far from a popular man in north London at the moment as he continues to struggle with Tottenham Hotspur since taking charge.
It has only been four games, but when each of those matches ends in convincing defeats, it is hard for the manager to be backed.
That is exactly the situation where Tudor finds himself, as he has fallen short at Tottenham, losing all four of his opening games while failing to improve what was already a dire situation.
Paul Merson says Tottenham should have appointed Robbie Keane
Speaking on Sky Sports, Paul Merson addressed the pressure mounting on Tudor and questioned whether calls for the Tottenham manager to be sacked are fair, while also discussing the nature of the team’s recent defeats.
He suggested the manner of the losses has been particularly concerning, arguing Tottenham only began to show fight when games were already out of reach.
He also named the manager he expected the club to have hired, one that will have united the fans. Merson told Sky Sports:
“It’s the way they’ve lost the matches. There’s ways of losing football matches. It’s the way they lost.
“You know, what I see the other day against Crystal Palace is a team that when they were beaten and they were down to ten men, they started to play, started to show a bit of fire.
“That’s no good anybody can do that when the game is over. You’ve got to do that when it is at nil nil and you’ve got to perform.
“Yeah, I just don’t see, I would’ve brought in Robbie Keane. I would’ve brought in Robbie Keane. He’s a Tottenham legend. He knows the club. He would’ve have come in the fans would’ve been united. You know everybody loved Robbie.”
Paul Merson urges Spurs to follow Man United footsteps
Robbie Keane was linked with the Tottenham job after Thomas Frank’s sacking, but it was reported that the former striker will only consider a return to north London if he is given a permanent role.
Continuing his comments on Sky Sports, Merson explained why he believes Keane could have been given the opportunity in a similar situation to how Manchester United handed Michael Carrick the managerial job following Amorim’s sacking.
He added: “Exactly like that. You know, and give him a two and a half year contract, and go, ‘right go on, you’ve got it. If we go down it ain’t going to be your fault, we’re in this position already.’
“And I think they will have been a… there was no kickstart, was it? When this man come in. It wasn’t like ‘right let’s go’ it was like ‘who’s this’ you know, and there’s no fault of it, it’s not the man’s fault.
“He’s got to take the job. It’s Tottenham Hotspur. This a huge football club. You know don’t get away from that.
“They’re a huge football club with an unbelievable stadium. But at the moment, up now it’s worrying. It’s worrying for them. And you, you look at this tonight and if they click Atletico Madrid I genuinely dread to think what the score could be.”