Antonio Conte's future as Tottenham head coach appears to have been the subject of speculation ever since he arrived in North London, but perhaps he is now edging towards the exit door.
The pressure certainly appears to be mounting on the Italian, with Spurs having won just three of their last 10 Premier League fixtures, losing six of those games, a run that has seen them slip six points off the pace in the race to finish in the top four.
Spurs are 10/3 to end the campaign in the top-four positions, but whether Conte is there to oversee that push for Champions League football appears to be very much up in the air.
Conte's future constantly up for debate
There was plenty of excitement surrounding Spurs following their decision to appoint Conte as head coach in November 2021, although there has always been a suggestion that perhaps he was not going to be there for the long term.
Prior to his arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Conte had built up a reputation for delivering instant success at previous clubs, winning silverware at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan before moving on to pastures new.
Spurs supporters would have been hoping he could replicate that success in North London, with them having not won a trophy since 2008, but he is yet to deliver on that front, with the FA Cup perhaps providing the club's best hope of lifting a trophy this season - they can be backed at 7/1 to win that competition.
Conte did lead Spurs to a top-four finish last season and they are through the last-16 of the Champions League this term where they will face AC Milan, but domestically things have not been going smoothly of late, with the mood at the club having not been helped by North London rivals Arsenal surging to the top of the Premier League standings.
Contract talks on hold
Conte signed an 18-month contract upon his arrival at Spurs and that deal is due to expire at the end of the season.
The club have reportedly offered the 53-year-old an extension to those terms, but it appears he is not interested in negotiating a new contract at this time and would instead prefer to put talks on standby.
Reports in Italy have claimed that Conte is interested in a return to his homeland to be closer to his family and potentially take a job in Serie A, with Juventus having recently been linked with bringing their former boss back to Turin.
If Spurs do fail to secure a top-four finish, which can be backed at 1/5, then there could prove a natural parting of the ways between club and manager in the summer, although it is also possible that Tottenham could look to get rid of Conte sooner, if their hopes of securing Champions League football evaporate even earlier.
A possible return for Poch?
One of the big questions that Spurs will potentially have to answer, whether that be during this season or over the summer, is who will they bring in to replace Conte if the Italian does move on to pastures new?
There are certainly plenty of big names being linked with the position, but perhaps the name who will get Tottenham supporters most excited is that of former boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino enjoyed a hugely successful spell in charge of Spurs between 2014-19, leading the club to top-four finishes in four of his five full seasons in charge, as well as a first-ever appearance in the Champions League final in 2019.
The Argentinian left Spurs a few months after that Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in Madrid and has since spent 18 months in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, who he led to the Ligue 1 title last season before departing over the summer.
A return for Pochettino would certainly be the romantic choice from a Spurs point of view, but there are other contenders should Conte leave the club over the coming months.
Tuchel another potential contender
Spurs have been no strangers to appointing former Chelsea managers in recent years, with Conte himself having enjoyed two years in charge at Stamford Bridge, while Jose Mourinho is another to have crossed the London divide.
Now speculation is mounting that another ex-Chelsea head coach, Thomas Tuchel, who led the Blues to Champions League glory in 2021 before parting ways earlier this season, could be the man to replace Conte.
Tuchel has an impressive CV, having also enjoyed success at Borussia Dortmund and PSG in the past and he may be open to remaining in London.
Current Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi are among the other names to have been linked with the Spurs hotseat, but whoever is in charge of the club come the summer, they are likely to have plenty of work to do.
