LONDON (Reuters) - Martin Jol's three-year reign as manager of Tottenham Hotspur appeared to be coming to an end yesterday despite him steering the club to their highest league position since 1990 and back into Europe.

Widespread media reports said the affable Dutchman, hugely popular with the long-suffering Spurs fans, had lost the support of the club's directors and could make way for Sevilla boss Juande Ramos, who has taken the Spanish club to five trophies in the space of just 15 months.

Ramos, however, has denied that he plans to leave the club after guiding them into the Champions League this season.

Jol, who took over at Tottenham in November 2004, has guided Spurs to two successive fifth-placed finishes and secured UEFA Cup participation for the second successive season. Spurs had not finished as high in the table since a third-place finish in the old First Division in 1990.

Despite two defeats in the opening two matches, Spurs crushed Derby County 4-0 on Saturday and are currently 12th in the early Premier League standings and Jol says he has no intention of quitting.

Spurs face champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. If Jol does leave, Spurs are expected to move for Ramos, who coincidentally guided Sevilla to an aggregate victory over Spurs in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals last season.

Ramos however, has insisted his does not intend to leave Sevilla now.

"I'm at Sevilla, I'm very happy here and have a year left on my contract," he told a news conference after his side crushed Real Madrid 5-3 in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup at the Bernabeu on Sunday.

"When my time at Sevilla comes to an end then we will speak about the future."

Ramos has denied meeting Spurs club secretary John Alexander at a hotel in Seville despite the fact that local sports paper Estadio Deportivo published photographs of the two men entering the luxury hotel on Friday.