Spurs Reach Verbal Agreement With Igor Tudor For Interim Head Coach

Tottenham Hotspur have moved swiftly to fill the managerial void left by Thomas Frank’s dismissal, reaching a verbal agreement with Igor Tudor to take interim charge through the end of the season. The 47-year-old Croatian will sign a fixed-term deal that carries no option for a permanent stay, the club confirmed on Wednesday evening.

Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange, the executives steering Tottenham’s football operations, led the negotiations after deciding a short-term solution best serves a squad sitting 16th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone. A comprehensive search for a full-time manager will commence in the summer.

Tudor arrives with a reputation for mid-season rescue acts. In March 2024 he inherited a floundering Lazio side and steered them to Europa League qualification, then replaced Thiago Motta at Juventus and secured Champions League football before a winless eight-game run saw him dismissed in October with the Bianconeri eighth in Serie A.

His familiarity with Tottenham’s dressing room is immediate. During the 2020-21 campaign he worked alongside current Spurs midfielders Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur under Andrea Pirlo at Juventus, and coached Randal Kolo Muani last season. Tudor also previously collaborated with former Spurs co-sporting director Fabio Paratici.

Tactically, the former Croatia international favours a 3-4-2-1 shape, a system he refined at Hellas Verona and transplanted to subsequent posts at Marseille and Lazio.

Frank’s tenure ended after eight months and 38 matches, yielding only 13 wins and 15 defeats. Despite the league predicament, Tottenham have already booked a place in the Champions League Round of 16.

Tudor’s likely first assignment will be the north London derby against Arsenal next weekend, a fixture that could set the tone for the remainder of the campaign.