Tim Sherwood: Is he Tottenham's best Premier League manager ever? If the season started from his first game they would be in fourth place

It is widely expected that he will be relieved of his duties at the end of the season

Tim Sherwood makes a gesture from the touchline (GETTY IMAGES)

Tim Sherwood, widely expected to lose his job as Tottenham manager next week, recently joked that he is the best manager that Spurs have ever had because he has a better Premier League win percentage than any of his predecessors, and he has another statistic to be rightfully boast about now - if the season started from Sherwood's first match they would be in fourth place, one more above rivals Arsenal.

Since his first league game in charge of the club, the 3-2 victory at Southampton on 22 December, Sherwood's Spurs have won 39 points from 20 Premier League matches. Only Chelsea (45), Liverpool (44) and Manchester City (42) have picked up more in that period.

But that is not all. With 66 points and two matches remaining, Spurs could also equal their highest points total in a Premier League season. They also recorded 72 points last season under Andre Villas-Boas, who Sherwood replaced.

The Premier League table since Sherwood's first match

P Pts

1 Chelsea 20 45

2 Liverpool 19 44

3 Man City 18 42

4 Tottenham 20 39

5 Everton 20 38

6 Arsenal 20 38

"My record here is second to none. My win percentage is the best of any Tottenham manager. I'm the best manager this club's ever seen!" he said in jest after Spurs' 5-1 win over Sunderland last month, and unfortunately for Spurs' chairman Daniel Levy, the stats back him up.

Premier League win% (criteria: over 10 PL matches)

T Sherwood 60%

A Villas-Boas 53.7%

H Redknapp 49.3%

M Jol 41.6%

D Pleat 38.5%

D Livermore 38.1%

G Francis 36.1%

G Hoddle 36%

C Gross 33.3%

G Graham 33%

O Ardiles 29.6%

J Ramos 28.6%

J Santini 27.3%

Ajax claimed on Tuesday that Tottenham had contacted them with a view to speaking to their manager Frank de Boer to replace Sherwood.

Spurs said in a statement released on Wednesday that any talk of an approach for De Boer was "wholly inaccurate", although the club have said in recent weeks that they will review Sherwood's position as head coach at the end of the year.