Igor Tudor has been warned by Tim Sherwood that there is no upside to him taking the Tottenham job with the threat of a "catastrophic" relegation looming over the club.

Tudor was appointed as Spurs' interim boss until the end of the season on Saturday, following Thomas Frank's dismissal earlier this week.

The Croatian, who was sacked by Juventus in October after an eight-game winless run, joins a team perched just five points above the Premier League relegation zone, in 16th. 

His first three games at the helm are London derbies, with fixtures against Fulham and Crystal Palace to come after a meeting with north London rivals Arsenal on February 22, and a trip to Liverpool is Spurs' next assignment after that run.

The Opta supercomputer currently assigns Spurs just a 3.7% chance of dropping to the Championship, but if Tudor does not make a strong start, those figures could soon rise dramatically.

And Sherwood – who had his own temporary stint as Tottenham boss in 2013-14 – is surprised Tudor has taken the position. 

He told Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday: "If he beats Arsenal in the first game, everything's happy. He might even get the job. There'd be a statue of him!

"It's going to be difficult. He has no knowledge of the Premier League and people will say, 'Does that matter?' It doesn't matter if you're taking a job at the top of the league.

"But what is the upside for him? If he finishes 12th, he's getting no credit. The downside is so catastrophic, would you want your fingerprints all over Tottenham getting relegated from the Premier League?

"Thomas Frank would still be there if it wasn't for the toxic nature of the fans and I can totally understand the disgruntlement, because they're not getting the results.

"I heard people say they're sleepwalking into the Championship. I think they'll have enough, even with the injuries, to get out of it, but he will get no credit for that.

"And the downside is so great, it can only fail. He's getting no credit for keeping Tottenham in the league."

Sherwood also believes it is inevitable that Spurs will attempt to entice Mauricio Pochettino back to the club following his World Cup campaign with the United States, suggesting the Argentine would get more backing from the club's fans than any other candidate. 

"We know who's coming in the summer – it will be Pochettino, 100%," Sherwood added. "I don't think the club will be brave enough to turn to anyone else. 

"There are other options out there but the pressure on another man getting that job and losing two games and then the crowd saying, 'You had a chance to bring Poch back'... It's impossible for them to look elsewhere."