Tottenham Hotspur should abandon their plan to leave Cristian Stellini in charge until the summer and appoint Mauricio Pochettino as boss for the rest of the season.
That is the view of BBC pundit Garth Crooks, who tore into Spurs following their 3-2 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday which leaves the club with an even greater uphill climb to make top-four.
Tottenham chose to stick with Stellini after announcing Antonio Conte had left the club during the international break. In fairness, Stellini had overseen a promising period while Conte was sidelined with illness earlier in the season.
However, the move simply has not worked out. And it has infuriated supporters.
Stellini has played much the same way Conte wanted to. And the results have been similar. Tottenham have won one of their last four, culminating in the dramatic defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend.
Crooks urges Tottenham to appoint Pochettino for the rest of the season
It appeared to be a real watershed moment for Spurs. There was obviously the incident with Davinson Sanchez getting booed by his own fans. And some of the crowd, once again, chanted for Mauricio Pochettino to get the job again.
MORE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STORIES
Daniel Levy had clearly hoped that Stellini could steady the ship until the summer – and perhaps stake his own claim for the job on a more permanent basis with his results. But that has not been the case.
And Crooks now thinks that Tottenham almost have no other choice, but to try and appoint the fan favourite for the rest of the campaign.
“This can’t go on. Tottenham’s season is falling apart. They have sacked Antonio Conte for telling the truth about his team and the culture of the club, and installed coach Cristian Stellini as interim manager because chairman Daniel Levy hasn’t got a clue what to do next,” he told BBC Sport.
“Well, permit me to give him a little advice: install Mauricio Pochettino immediately to bolster the fans and reassure the players on a contract until the end of the season. If he can secure Spurs a top-four spot he gets a big, fat bonus and a two-year contract and enough time to win a trophy or he’s gone. Is that difficult?”
It is hard to see Pochettino being willing to return for what could be such a short space of time. Tottenham are really struggling. And their confidence is on the floor.
Pochettino is loved in North London like few other coaches. However, there is only so much he can do at this stage.
If the move was definitely permanent, perhaps he would be more open to it. But surely there is no way that he returns to a job that may only be his until the summer.