It is a natural question when a manager comes under pressure at a club: Who else would do a better job? For Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham, this is extremely pertinent.

In recent weeks, especially on Sunday night after the defeat away to Aston Villa in the FA Cup, Postecoglou has become increasingly defensive over his position. Highlighting the impact of injuries on his squad, the age profile of the teams he has been forced into picking, and also inconsistencies for other top sides, he certainly has a strong argument.

The response of supporters towards chairman Daniel Levy suggests that they also see things similarly. Although Postecoglou does not get away blameless from this horrid second season, there is a sense of fatigue and newfound anger towards senior figures in north London rather than just the head coach.

The holes in the squad, lack of spending over a number of years, and overall formation of the players into one cohesive group, have all been criticised. It is one reason why Postecoglou still has support.

Would anybody be able to have a positive effect and turn things around with the current state of affairs? Given the bright sparks that Postecoglou has managed to show with a full hand - namely the start to last season - is it not better off to leave him in place for the Europa League and back end of the Premier League to try and improve things once players return?

They are the questions being asked by fans and pundits. Even with such a low bar to clear - Spurs are 14th after 24 games, level on points with West Ham, who have changed manager, and one above Everton, another team to made a mid-season sacking - it is not resoundingly clear that someone else would be able to pick up the mess and turn it into something immediately better.

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Many claim that quite literally anybody would do. Some have a lot more sympathy for Postecoglou, the latest manager in a long line to have reached boiling point and helplessness at Tottenham.

So far, there is no indication that Postecoglou is under imminent threat. The backing of him in the January transfer window only further adds to the lack of noise around him.

That doesn't stop him from being under pressure. In football you are often only safe until you aren't. The gap between those two realities is thin.

But with just three-and-a-bit months of the season left, who could Tottenham actually appoint? Manchester United have already shown that making a change isn't that easy and that new manager bounces aren't always forthcoming.

History has regularly come back to bite those who start quickly before long. Then there is the financial aspect to consider.

Tottenham are in a strong monetary position, unlike United, but are unlikely to want to pay out millions of pounds to lure away a manager currently working. It was £10million to get Ruben Amorim to Old Trafford and the fee to dismiss a coach is expensive too.

Especially given the time of season, Spurs, should they make a change, are possibly more likely to go for an interim. That is what happened with Antonio Conte and then the interim for the interim with Ryan Mason replacing Cristian Stellini.

If something drastic happened and Levy needed to appoint someone right now, the market of managers who are out of work is not massively strong. Compared to last summer, which saw Thomas Tuchel, Hansi Flick, Xabi Alonso, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Zinedine Zidane, and other big names all in the mix to potentially move (Alonso didn't but was heavily linked to all parts), it is currently quite barren.

Former German national team boss Joachim Lowe is maybe the standout. He has never really been considered for a role in England before. It is over 20 years since his last club job, though, and there is little to say that he is keen on entering the day-to-day scene either.

Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, is freely out of a job. He was linked to the Borussia Dortmund hot seat last month before ex-Bayern Munich man Niko Kovac was appointed. In 2019, when his Ajax team beat Tottenham in the Champions League semi-final, Ten Hag was the next big thing. His stock has been hurt since then and it would be a surprise to see a return to the Premier League so soon.

The same goes for Julen Lopetegui. He is available but will surely remain well away from Tottenham's radar. Outside of his work at Sevilla there is nothing recent to make him desirable (especially not wearing jeans on the touchline).

Then there are two of the younger options. Xavi is yet to get back on the bike after leaving Barcelona. As a big-name player he impressed in his first year at Camp Nou before deciding to leave, staying, then leaving anyway.

Eden Terzic built a relationship at Dortmund, where he was a fan, and played some exciting attacking football too. The pair both have limitations and lack elite experience but that has not stopped Tottenham previously. Neither seems to fit the bill, though.

On the other end of the scale is Massimiliano Allegri. He is in the Conte and Mourinho bracket of 'win-now' manager. Spurs surely won't be going in that direction.

The final trio are all in a separate category altogether. Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, and Julien Nagelsmann. None are completely free but are not completely busy either.

All of them are engaged ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel now at England, Nagelsmann still with Germany, and Pochettino in America. On a short-term contract it is fanciful whether anything would be possible anyway. They warrant mentioning, regardless.

What this shows is that if Tottenham were to pull the trigger on Postecoglou, they don't have a clear alternative without a job right now. Russell Martin fits more into the Spurs mould as a young, trendy, possession-based and progressive coach. His car crash in the top flight with Southampton isn't going to land him a place on the Vincent Kompany pathway, though.

This is far from the only thing keeping Postecoglou employed but it cannot be discounted. The market is not there for managers and the market is not there for Tottenham.

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