Former Tottenham boss Gerry Francis believes Martin Jol is on his way out of White Hart Lane.

Francis, who managed Tottenham from 1994-97, told The Sun: "The players have to know you are the one in power, that you are in control and in authority.

"Events of the last few days have seen that taken away from Martin Jol.

"If anything, this statement from Tottenham puts serious doubts over him and asks more questions than it answers. The players will now be wondering 'How long will this bloke be in charge for? Is there going to be a change soon?'. That erodes authority for Jol.

"Particularly now he is going to have to drop some big-name players given the squad he has got. You need to feel empowered to do that.

"Players like Jermain Defoe - who don't play much under him but who are England internationals - will be wondering how long Jol has left and it won't do anything to help the boss.

"If I was a manager and my club had come out with a statement like that I would be extremely disappointed."