Tottenham top contender emerges as crisis club begin 'replacement process'

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Tottenham Hotspur sit one point clear of the bottom three as Premier League relegation pressure ramps up

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in appointing former Crystal Palace supremo Dougie Freedman as their new sporting director, according to reports.

Spurs have been searching for a replacement chief since Fabio Paratici left the club in January. BBC Sport has reported that Freedman is a person of interest in their hierarchical restructure despite concerns over interim head coach Igor Tudor.

Thursday's 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace left the North London club mired in relegation danfer after their city rivals came from behind to inflict a third-straight defeat on the Croatian. Dominic Solanke had given Spurs the lead but Mickey van de Ven's red card turned the encounter on its head as Palace netted three goals in the latter stages of the first-half to compound the misery.

Freedman has been credited as the person behind the successful period at Selhurst Park that saw Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Adam Wharton make the move to south London. It has been said that he isn't the only option, however, with Paul Winstanley and Tiago Pinto on their radar.

Spurs sit one point clear of the bottom three as they stare down the barrel of their first relegation since 1977. West Ham United have turned around their fortunes under Nuno Espirito Santo with Crysencio Summerville's winner helping them move closer to safety with their 1-0 win over Fulham.

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Elliot Anderson salvaged a crucial point for Nottingham Forest which leaves them outside the relegation zone but both the Nottinghamshire side and the Hammers are breathing down Spurs' neck as both sides look up, while Tudor's side are looking over their shoulder following a run of 11 matches without a win.

The Telegraph has reported that former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi is a possible option to be installed as manager at the end of the season.

It has been said that talks have been held about appointing the Italian if Spurs avoid relegation. However, their focus is now on Premier League survival with a difficult run to come, starting with a trip to Liverpool - the one match Van de Ven will serve a suspension for.

Amid the difficult run, the former Juventus head coach says his belief has increased following their display against Palace - despite fans steaming for the exits in the first-half.

He said: "I understand the fans, they wanted more. We also wanted more. The red card changed everything.

"It might sound strange, I believe more after this game than I believed before. I saw something.

"I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I need to go, and who is in the boat can stay, otherwise, [they] can leave the boat.

"When the other players come back, I'm sure we'll have a good team and come back. It's not easy to accept the moment we are in now."