Tottenham will have the chance to release Nuno Espirito Santo from his two-year contract next summer, according to reports.
It took Spurs 72 days to find a permanent successor to Jose Mourinho in the summer, with Nuno finally installed in the hot seat on June 30.
The Portuguese appeared to be some way down Tottenham's wish list when they began their search for a new head coach.
Nuno left Wolves at the end of last season and was on the market for six weeks before he was finally unveiled as the new Spurs manager.
The north London side considered other options, with Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso all heavily linked with the position.
Nuno meanwhile came close to taking the Crystal Palace job, only for talks to break off after the two parties failed to reach an agreement.
The 47-year-old signed a contract until 2023 upon taking charge of Spurs - a much shorter deal than new managers are typically offered.
And if that reflects certain doubts that the Tottenham board harboured over Nuno's suitability to the role, Monday's reports will only strengthen that suspicion.
According to The Athletic, the structure of the manager's deal favours the chairman Daniel Levy.
The long-serving Spurs supremo drew up a contract on his terms, affording the club protection should this season not go to plan.
If Nuno does not deliver a top-six finish, Tottenham would be able to sack him next summer without paying any compensation.
A failure to secure Europa League football at a minimum is therefore likely to lead to the Portuguese's dismissal.
Tottenham could sack Nuno even if he does finish in the top six, but they would have to buy out the final year of his contract.
The north Londoners beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Sunday to end a run of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League.
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