Tottenham Hotspur have made an attempt to sound out the Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi but the response was not a positive one.
Would Roberto De Zerbi leave Brighton for Spurs?
The issues in north London were only amplified over the last few days after their dismal display at Goodison Park which – once again – saw them throw away a victory to a relegation-battling side.
Issues on the pitch are glaringly obvious and so are their problems off the pitch with the club currently without a permanent manager and a director of football.
The prospect of Champions League football seems to be fading away despite sitting inside the top four following their draw on Merseyside as a result of the games in hand the teams around them hold over Spurs.
In comparison, De Zerbi has the Seagulls flying high this season and is working at what has been dubbed as the Premier League's "model club".
Brighton sit just four points behind Spurs with two games in hand on the Lilywhites, yet Daniel Levy seems to believe he could prise De Zerbi away from the south coast.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold claimed the north London side have made some initial contact but did not receive the desired response from De Zerbi's camp:
(49:40) "From what I understand, the initial contact Spurs have had with De Zerbi's his camp they are not the most positive indications that he would really be like yeah, alright I'm up for that. That's not what I've kind of heard.
"I don't get the impression, from everything I've heard, that he's particularly desperate to leave what is a very stable project at Brighton, I guess an exciting one, a very well-structured and planned and thought out project that he has at Brighton for let's be honest the utter chaos that is Tottenham Hotspur right now."
Would De Zerbi be a good fit for Spurs?
Since landing at Brighton, the Italian has continued on from what Graham Potter had begun but has taken the Seagulls to the next level as they battle for a spot inside the top four.
Brighton midfielder Adam Lallana has hailed his manager as "really special" and it is clear why when the Seagulls are sitting just four points off third spot.
When Spurs sacked Jose Mourinho in 2021, Levy spoke about the desire to return to a manager who would bring attractive football to north London.
That hasn't happened in the two appointments since Mourinho's departure but a manager like De Zerbi could certainly help Spurs return to playing some exciting football.
Under the Italian, Brighton's average possession has dramatically improved in comparison to what it was under Graham Potter – which was already higher than what Spurs have averaged this season.
Brighton's defensive record has also been considerably better than Spurs with the Seagull having only lost two league games since October.
But rising the Italian away from a project which is evidently going in the right direction to join a project which is seemingly at its beginning feels like a huge ask ahead of the summer.