Juande Ramos has moved closer to succeeding Martin Jol as Tottenham manager after resigning from his post at Sevilla.

Spurs want a swift appointment as they look to salvage something from their season, with signs pointing to Ramos taking over.

Luis Fabiano was among the Sevilla players bracing themselves for Ramos' departure from Spanish football and Gus Poyet, the man tipped to assist him, will not be in the dugout as assistant boss of Leeds at the weekend.

"In the best interests of the team he will not be in attendance at Elland Road for the fixture against Millwall to allow the players to fully focus on the game without any distractions," read a statement from Leeds.

Spurs were revealed to be interested in Ramos on the first week of the season when officials famously met him at the Alfonso XIII hotel in Sevilla.

Jol looked undermined but was not sacked until Thursday after the UEFA Cup defeat to Getafe at the end of a bizarre evening at White Hart Lane which has been described by League Managers' Association chief executive John Barnwell as "extremely disturbing".

Clive Allen's appointment as caretaker for the Blackburn game on Sunday is seen as extremely short term, unlike when David Pleat took over for most of the 2003-04 season.

Ramos' decision now clears the way for a similar "dizzying" offer he spoke of earlier in the season from Spurs.

Chairman Daniel Levy is intent on getting the club into the Champions League although they are currently in the bottom three of the Premier League.

Despite Jol's success, there were doubts over his tactical ability and also a noticeable change in demeanour when he returned this summer.

There were expectations of a top-four finish, with Arsenal looking vulnerable at the time, and there were questions at board level over whether Jol was the man to take them to the next level.

Ramos has an unblemished record at Sevilla after consecutive UEFA Cup victories - they beat Spurs on the way to glory last season — and after earning a place in the Champions League.

Levy will be hoping the next man will have a better record against the clubs in the top four, as Jol only masterminded a single win over Chelsea.