Tottenham Hire Igor Tudor As Interim Manager

Tottenham confirmed the appointment of Igor Tudor as their interim manager until the end of the season on Saturday.

Former Juventus boss Tudor replaces Thomas Frank, who was sacked on Wednesday, with Tottenham languishing only five points above the Premier League relegation zone.

The Croatian and Tottenham hierarchy reached a verbal agreement on Friday, and the deal has now been rubber-stamped.

“It is an honour to join this club at an important moment,” Tudor said.

“I understand the responsibility I have been handed, and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.

“There is a strong quality in this playing squad, and my job is to organise it, energise it and improve our results quickly.”

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At Juventus, Tudor inherited a team that sat outside the Champions League places late in the 2024-25 campaign, but he guided them to a fourth-place finish after losing just one of his first 11 games in charge.

He was unable to replicate that form this season and paid the price.

The 47-year-old was dismissed in October after an eight-match winless run left the Italian club struggling in eighth place in Serie A.

Tudor has also had spells in charge of Lazio, Marseille, Verona, Hajduk Split, Galatasaray, and Udinese.

The former Croatia defender will be tasked with cleaning up the mess left by Frank, who was sacked one day after a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle on Tuesday.

Frank, hired from Brentford last year after Ange Postecoglou’s sacking, was removed after a miserable run of two wins in 17 league games.

Tottenham sporting director Johan Lange expects Tudor to prove a unifying force at a club in turmoil during Frank’s dismal seven-month reign.

As well as battling to avoid relegation for the first time since 1976-77, the north London club have reached the last 16 of the Champions League in their sole glimmer of hope this season.

“Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience of stepping into challenging moments and producing impact,” said Lange.

“Our objective is straightforward -– to stabilise performances, maximise the quality within the squad and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League.”

Tottenham’s players have been given time off until Monday due to the club being without a weekend match after their FA Cup exit in January.

Opting for a temporary boss follows the template used by Manchester United, who hired Michael Carrick until the end of the season after dismissing Ruben Amorim.

Tottenham had also been linked with former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and ex-RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose prior to reports of their agreement with Tudor.

Candidates for the permanent Tottenham job are likely to include their former manager, Mauricio Pochettino after his United States commitments at the World Cup in June and July.

Lange and Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham can expect criticism if Tudor doesn’t improve results, given his lack of Premier League experience and reputation for producing the same kind of cautious performances that angered fans in Frank’s tenure.

Tottenham’s next match is the north London derby at home to Premier League leaders Arsenal on February 22.

AFP