Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth believes that Tottenham-linked Mauricio Pochettino will assess his options heading into the summer.

The Lowdown: Spurs speculation

Antonio Conte’s position in north London appears to be in real jeopardy, with the Spurs squad believing it is just a matter of time until he leaves the club.

Pochettino has been linked with a return to Tottenham, should Conte depart, with Sky Sports stating in the week that many of Tottenham's squad have already been in contact with the Argentine, who would take the job if offered it.

The 51-year-old has been out of work since the summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, but it looks as if it could be 12 months before he makes his return to the dugout.

The Latest: Sheth’s comments

Sheth was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Spurs and Pochettino in a story shared in the last 24 hours. The Sky Sports reporter believes that the former Tottenham boss will be assessing his options ahead of the summer, name-checking Real Madrid as a potential destination should Carlo Ancelotti depart the Bernabeu:

"You'll find that a lot of these big-name managers who Tottenham will be looking at, they tend to say, 'I'll just keep my powder dry until the summer, then I'll assess all of my options'. That's definitely the information we're getting with regard to Mauricio Pochettino.

"He wants to assess all of his options in the summer, because, you know what, there's another big job that could be coming around as well. There's lots of talk about Carlo Ancelotti going from Real Madrid to the Brazilian national team come the end of the season and then suddenly, you've got the biggest job, you could argue in world football, for a manager available."

The Verdict: Short-term appointment?

If Conte departs over the coming weeks, it could be worth looking at a short-term option until the end of the campaign, should Pochettino and other possible candidates be looking at a return in the summer, as Sheth claims.

London rivals Crystal Palace have done just that by bringing in Roy Hodgson for the remaining Premier League fixtures, and it seems as if Spurs have also considered a similar move, with Ryan Mason name-checked as a potential caretaker option.

Conte’s astonishing post-match Southampton rant could result in Mason taking over until the end of the season, which may help the club in their pursuit of a long-term appointment, possibly Pochettino, although Bayern Munich's decision to sack Julian Nagelsmann has seen another possible twist, with Tottenham possibly making contact for the now available manager.