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Igor Tudor set for Tottenham caretaker role until season close

Igor Tudor set for Tottenham caretaker role until season close

By Martin Graham

 

Igor Tudor has reached an agreement to take charge of Tottenham on an interim basis through to the conclusion of the campaign.

The decision follows the removal of Thomas Frank earlier in the week, with the north London side sitting five points clear of the relegation positions.

BBC Sport sources indicate the club were keen to have a temporary head coach installed ahead of the squad’s return to training on Monday.

Tudor has been without a role since his departure from Juventus in October 2025, a dismissal that came after an eight-game stretch without a victory, which left the Turin club eighth in Serie A.

Now aged 47, the Croatian brings a broad coaching background, having previously worked at clubs including Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray and Udinese.

Reasons behind Tottenham’s choice

Tottenham’s interest in Tudor was shaped by his reputation for producing swift turnarounds, something he has managed at several previous appointments.

His sole managerial honour came in 2013, when he guided Hajduk Split to victory in the Croatian Cup, having been appointed shortly before the final.

As a player, Tudor spent nine years with Juventus, collecting two Serie A titles and appearing in the 2003 Champions League final, where the Italian giants finished runners-up.

He began and ended his playing career with Hajduk Split, stepping away from professional football at the age of 30 in 2008 due to persistent ankle issues.

Alongside his time at his boyhood club, he also spent loan periods with Trogir in Croatia and Siena in Italy.

Recent coaching record and future possibilities

Tudor’s most recent spell at Juventus ended after a difficult opening to the season, with the club enduring eight matches without success across all competitions and slipping to 25th in the Champions League league phase.

Across two Serie A campaigns, he recorded eight victories from 17 matches, giving him a 47.1% success rate, which was lower than his returns during shorter spells at Lazio and in Ligue 1 with Marseille.

Despite that, his initial months in Turin were more positive, as a run of one loss in nine fixtures after his March 2025 arrival helped secure qualification for Europe’s top competition.

In France, Tudor oversaw Marseille’s rise to third place, finishing behind Paris St-Germain and Lens, while collecting a higher points total than the club managed when they ended the previous season as runners-up.

Tottenham had also examined other short-term candidates, including former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic and ex-Red Bull Leipzig manager Marco Rose.

Should Tudor impress during his temporary tenure, the club may consider extending his stay, although Mauricio Pochettino is viewed as a strong contender for the permanent role once his United States national team contract expires after the summer World Cup, with Roberto de Zerbi another name under consideration following his recent departure from Marseille.

Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer

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