Antonio Conte reportedly faces being axed by the Premier League club this week. A fiery condemnation of Spurs’ lack of desire to win trophies is expected to see the Italian dismissed when he returns from a trip to his homeland this week. 

Spurs have been linked with an emotional return for the well-liked Pochettino. However, the Argentine is likely to be on Real’s list of candidates should they part ways with Ancelotti before the end of the campaign. 

The North Londoners have received good news, though, from Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, who claims to have spoken to his Brazil team-mates who play their club football for Real. He says the Los Blancos squad still ‘likes’ Ancelotti, which could suggest that the former Chelsea and Everton boss will remain at the Bernabeu and hand Spurs a free run at Pochettino. 

Ancelotti has also been linked with the Brazil job, and Ederson revealed that he has been speaking with his national team colleagues about the 63-year-old potentially taking over. He said: “I was speaking with Casemiro, Vinicius Jr and Eder Militao about the possibility of him coming here.

“But let’s see after [Man City face Real Madrid in the Champions League]. [Hopefully] He can come as soon as possible! But what I have been told about him is that he’s an outstanding coach, that everyone in the [Real Madrid] group likes him. He has a winning career, just check his CV.”

Real sticking with Ancelotti would give Spurs the perfect opportunity to bring Pochettino back to the club. The 51-year-old is reportedly well-liked among the Players, of whom many remain from his first spell at the club between 2013-19. Fans have also frequently sung his name in the final months of Conte’s reign. 

But some reports suggest that Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici harbour doubts over reappointing Pochettino. That is despite saying in 2019: “Mauricio and his coaching staff will always be part of our history.