Should Harry Redknapp stay or should he go? Spurs need to know now

Yesterday afternoon, Harry ­Redknapp's unanimous acquittal on two counts of cheating the public revenue seemed to have left him free to concentrate solely on steering Spurs' season towards a successful conclusion.

Hours later, Fabio Capello's decision to quit as England manager left Spurs fans wondering whether Redknapp would still be around to see the campaign through.

It appears highly unlikely Redknapp would leave immediately. The Football Association are working towards an interim appointment for the friendly against Holland on February 29. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, one of the most exacting negotiators in the Premier League, will fight as hard as he can to secure the best deal for his club, ­regardless of external circumstances.

To ensure their fine season does not end poorly because of this, Tottenham need clarity. If the FA intend to approach Redknapp, Spurs need to be told quickly. Would the governing body be happy for Redknapp to remain at White Hart Lane until May 14 - the day after the Premier League season ends - before taking full-time charge of the national team immediately afterwards? Or would they want Redknapp to leave Spurs before the end of the season and to concentrate entirely on England?
If Levy and the Spurs board know the FA's plans, and those of their current manager, they can act accordingly. If they are kept in the dark, there is a danger the good work accomplished this season might be undermined.

There has been plenty of uncertainty at Tottenham recently. Redknapp's trial left him unable to take charge of training at Spurs Lodge. He missed the goalless draw at Anfield on Monday because his flight from London to Liverpool was cancelled. Michael Dawson admitted that Redknapp's absence had felt "odd", even though results have not become especially worse.

As with any place of work, there is a variety of personalities and temperaments within the Tottenham dressing room, and the longer there is uncertainty about Redknapp's future, the more it will play on the minds of the players.

They will wonder whether Redknapp will be with them for the rest of the campaign, or whether he might leave before it concludes. How would the English players in the squad react if they knew their club manager might also be the man to decide whether they will play in the European ­Championships?

Should Redknapp choose to relinquish his duties at Spurs before the end of the season, some key members of his staff, such as Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan, would be expected to follow him to Wembley. There would be very few pillars of the Redknapp regime left to finish the work he had started when he took over in October 2008. Tim Sherwood is highly regarded at Spurs, but he has never managed a professional club.

Spurs could be forgiven for thinking events have been conspiring against them. The charges of which Redknapp was cleared yesterday predated his time at White Hart Lane. The England job is suddenly vacant not because Capello had been performing particularly badly but because of a disagreement between the coach and the FA about the decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy.

However disappointed Spurs might have been to lose their manager, their life would have been far easier had Capello been in charge in Poland and Ukraine. Plans could have been formed, options discussed, a shortlist drawn up and approaches made calmly. Capello's decision to quit now has left only chaos.