Villas-Boas's Tottenham future still in doubt as Levy tensions continue

The Spurs chairman is considering Glenn Hoddle as a replacement for the Portuguese coach, who was unhappy with the club's purchases in the summer transfer market

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EXCLUSIVE
By Duncan Castles
  
The relationship between Andre Villas-Boas and Daniel Levy has deteriorated to the point where Tottenham's manager is not expected to remain at the club beyond the summer, Goal can reveal.

TIME FOR CHANGE?
VILLAS-BOAS'S TOTTENHAM RECORD
GAMES PLAYED WON DRAWN LOST WIN PERCENTAGE	78 43 20 15 55.13%

According to a close friend, the Portuguese coach believes that he would already have been sacked by Levy had his contract not included a prohibitive penalty clause.

However, the scale of the pay-off, which commits Tottenham to ensuring that Villas-Boas earns an annual salary of at least €3 million (£2.5m) net until the summer of 2014, will have reduced by the end of the season. With that in mind, Spurs' hierarchy are already considering successors to the Portuguese coach.

Levy's advisers have floated the extraordinary strategy of replacing a coach who led the club to their highest Premier League points total in his first season in charge with Glenn Hoddle; himself dismissed as Tottenham boss a decade ago and out of top-level coaching since 2006.

For now, the chairman's preference is that Villas-Boas resigns his position, avoiding the cost of compensation, club sources say.

The long-standing discord between Villas-Boas and Levy was exacerbated by disagreement over the reinvestment of Gareth Bale's record €100m (£83.8m) transfer fee. Some of the club's seven summer signings were acquired against the manager's advice and the squad left imbalanced by the failure to follow it.

Integrating new players into the team has proved problematic, culminating in a 6-0 defeat at Manchester City in November. Two away victories and a draw with Manchester United since then have moved Tottenham to within three points of a Champions League qualifying place without resolving the tension between board and manager.

A lack of support over Emmanuel Adebayor's behaviour within the dressing room – the under-performing striker has clashed with Villas-Boas on more than one occasion – and a refusal to help implement some of the manager's preparation methods have angered the 36-year-old.

It is also thought that Levy would have been happy for Villas-Boas take up a lucrative offer to coach Paris Saint-Germain last summer, with Tottenham entitled to £12m compensation from the French champions.