Tottenham target Dougie Freedman in sporting director search as concerns grow over Igor Tudor’s position

There has been significant structural change at Spurs over the past 12 months, with executive chairman Daniel Levy stepping down last September and Carlos Raphael Moersen joining as director of football operations in January.

But the search for a new sporting director comes at a time when the club is mired in the Premier League relegation battle.

Thursday night’s defeat by Crystal Palace means Spurs are just one point above the bottom three with nine matches remaining.

Spurs replaced Thomas Frank with Tudor in February, with the Croatian’s track record of instantly improving under-performing teams one of the key attractions to his appointment.

But Tudor has lost all three of his games in charge, raising concerns about his suitability for the role.

On Friday morning, club sources told BBC Sport that Tottenham have no immediate plans to change manager for a second time this campaign.

The club also confirmed that Tudor is scheduled to undertake the pre-match news conference, before Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 first-leg tie at Atletico Madrid, providing further indication that Spurs are sticking with him for now.

But even if Tudor can steer Tottenham to Premier League safety, it is now looking highly unlikely that he will be a contender to take the role on a full-time basis.