After destabilising Martin Jol in spectacularly clumsy fashion, Tottenham Hotspur yesterday claimed that they were so committed to keeping their manager that they had no interest in any other candidate, even one with as glittering a CV as Fabio Capello. Yet, after another disruptive day at White Hart Lane, when the board was forced to digest harsh criticism from within its own dressing-room, it remains to be seen how quickly the club can move on.

Yesterday’s confusion was exacerbated by a day-trip to London by Capello, who is working as a television pundit after his dismissal by Real Madrid. Rumours that the Italian was next in line to replace Jol after the decision by Juande Ramos to stay with Seville were quickly denied by Spurs, but, in keeping with this saga, it was not quite that simple.

Spurs initially claimed that someone purporting to represent Capello had offered them the Italian’s services, but they backtracked even from that position after discovering that Capello, a serial trophy-winner with AC Milan, Juventus, AS Roma and Real, was decidedly unhappy at being linked with the job at all.

Capello was in London with his lawyer son, Pier Filippo, to meet representatives of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and had held brief talks afterwards with Mel Goldberg, the sports lawyer. Someone, possibly Goldberg, appears to have taken it upon himself to try to unite Spurs and Capello, but the Italian was quick to distance himself. “At the end of the meeting [with the USSF] I was approached by Mel Goldberg about him being my representative in England,” Capello said. “At no time did I have any contact with Tottenham and I did not come over for the Tottenham job.”

For their part, Spurs claimed that they would not have been interested anyway, despite Capello’s track record. “We have been approached by many managers in the last few days, but we have met all of those approaches with a polite but firm ‘no’,” a spokeswoman said.

Whether they will be quite so keen to turn their back if they lose to Manchester United, Fulham and/or Arsenal in their forthcoming Barclays Premier League fixtures will be a matter for fierce scrutiny. Daniel Levy, the chairman, put out another statement last night in which he talked of “100 per cent support” for Jol, but the wounds are unlikely to be healed by a few soothing words.

The dressing-room can hardly be a settled placed and the board was understood to be extremely unhappy with comments from Paul Robinson, who claimed to be “very disappointed” that the board had “gone behind his [Jol’s] back”. The goalkeeper may yet face disciplinary action. There were also talks yesterday between Levy, Dimitar Berbatov and his agent after the Bulgaria striker’s dismay at team rotations. Berbatov has been linked with Old Trafford but his representative, Emil Dantchev, claimed that the player recognised his contractual obligations and his debt to Jol.

Levy also spoke to Ledley King, the Tottenham captain. “As a result of what has happened in the last few days, both the players, Martin, the coaching staff and the board all feel we will be stronger for it,” Levy said.

Chairman and manager are understood to have grown distant recently, but Levy claimed that the air had been cleared. “We had a very open meeting . . . on a number of issues that we needed to bring out into the open,” he said. “We both want success. Martin has assured me I’ve got his 100 per cent commitment and I’ve given it to him.” What Jol makes of it all may become clearer today, although, despite knowing that he has been briefed against, he will be under pressure not to rock the boat any further.

He moves on with a promise from Levy that “no change would be made on the basis of two or three results”, but those words must seem hollow after the events of this week.