Following the weekend debacle at home to Nottingham Forest, it feels a matter of when and not if Igor Tudor will be replaced at Tottenham Hotspur, with the Croatian having plunged this side further into the mire during his turbulent interim tenure.
Despite the positivity of Spurs’ midweek showing against Atletico Madrid, one point from five Premier League games in charge makes for grim reading, having failed to provide the new manager bounce that was needed.
An albeit injury-hit squad must undoubtedly shoulder a portion of the blame, following a second top-flight disaster campaign in a row, although if there is to be any obvious quick fix, it would be to take Tudor out of the firing line.
The 47-year-old was given a stay of execution after the trip to Anfield and win over Atleti, but Sunday’s 3-0 defeat felt like a real step backwards, ensuring a new manager is likely to be at the helm by the time the international break is at an end.
Spurs make approach to hire Igor Tudor replacement
Where do we go from here? That’s the question facing the ENIC regime at N17, with the bold decision to appoint a manager with no Premier League experience, either as a coach or a player, having backfired spectacularly.
Desperate times might call for desperate measures, although talk of hiring the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Harry Redknapp appears a step too far, while Ryan Mason has already had a handful of chances as caretaker coach.
There is the suggestion that another former interim, Chris Hughton, could be a more realistic target, although, as per reports in France, the Lilywhites may well be considering another more left-field candidate.
According to L’Equipe, there is the suggestion that the north London side have already made an approach for free agent, Adi Hutter, with the Austrian having been contacted by the club this week.
The 56-year-old has been without a job since leaving Ligue 1 side Monaco in 2025, while much of his work prior to that has come in Austria or Germany, both as a coach and player.
|
Hutter – Manager career |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Games |
PPG |
|
Monaco |
93 |
1.77 |
|
Gladbach |
37 |
1.38 |
|
Frankfurt |
141 |
1.65 |
|
Young Boys |
133 |
1.95 |
|
Salzburg |
54 |
2.09 |
|
Grodig |
75 |
1.76 |
|
Altach |
102 |
1.01 |
The report does also relay the claims that talks are being held with Roberto De Zerbi, although the nagging sense is that the Italian will instead wait until the summer.
Why Hutter would be an upgrade on Tudor
After the apparent mistake of hiring Tudor, there would be a sense of history repeating itself if the Lilywhites were to replace him with Hutter, not least considering this is yet another manager who’s yet to coach in the Premier League.
Talks held: Spurs could hire 4-2-3-1 manager who’s a better fit than De Zerbi
It’s all getting a little bit desperate at Spurs, with Sunday arguably the final straw for Igor Tudor.
With just seven games left to play this season, that risk appears a step too far, it must be said, albeit with it fair to say that if such a call is made, Hutter would at least represent an upgrade on the under-fire Croatian.
Nine years older than Tudor, the out-of-work coach boasts far more experience at the elite level, with his coaching career thus far taking in notable stints at the likes of Monaco, Borussia Monchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt.
It was in that latter post that Hutter seemingly “helped Mikel Arteta get the Arsenal job“, as per The Telegraph’s Matt Law, with Frankfurt having beaten the Gunners 2-1 in what proved to be Unai Emery’s final game in charge.
He’s played his part, albeit somewhat indirectly, in Arsenal’s rise under Arteta, with the hope being that he can also have a real say in Tottenham’s future, should he take the reins for the end of the season.
A relative unknown for Premier League watchers, Hutter has twice been named Bundesliga coach of the year, having also claimed league titles back in Austria and in Switzerland, amid spells with Red Bull Salzburg and with BSC Young Boys.
A further benefit over Tudor, and not just his experience, would be the 56-year-old’s more progressive, attack-minded style of play, with Eric Dier having hailed Hutter’s approach as “similar” to what he encountered with Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
Unlike Tudor, who set Spurs up in a desperately defensive fashion against the likes of Arsenal in recent weeks, Hutter may well inspire something greater out of this wounded squad.
Indeed, the man himself has previously spoken of his desire to play “aggressive football in a good way“, something that may well be music to the ears of Spurs supporters after a wretched time under both Tudor and Thomas Frank.
In his last post in Ligue 1 too, for instance, Hutter also finished with a points per game ratio of 1.77 from his 93 games in charge, eclipsing the 1.58 that Tudor averaged in his prior stint at Juventus, from only 24 outings.
Of course, Hutter’s newcomer status to the Premier League would be of real concern at such a crunch time of the season, but can he really be any worse than Tudor?
Spurs have held talks to hire 4-2-3-1 manager who’s like De Zerbi & Pochettino
Spurs may well be looking for yet another new manager in north London.