Tottenham have parted company with Igor Tudor after seven games and 44 days in a desperate attempt to halt their slide towards relegation from the Premier League. According to the club, the decision was mutually agreed. Spurs have now moved once again to try to persuade Roberto De Zerbi to come to their rescue and join them straight away.
The club considered a move for De Zerbi, the former Brighton manager, after they sacked Thomas Frank on 11 February and before they appointed Tudor. De Zerbi had just left Marseille but he decided he needed a break from the game and would most likely look to resume work in the summer.
De Zerbi continues to view the idea of going to Spurs this season and in the situation they are in as less than ideal. He would be putting a lot on the line. But Spurs believe they can convince him. They want to take him now and secure him on a long-term contract.
The Italian’s open and attacking style appeals to the club’s hierarchy and so does his experience of the Premier League. He enjoyed a very successful spell at Brighton between 2022 and 2024.
Tudor had no previous experience of English football and he could not master the demands of the competition. He took one point from his five league matches to leave Spurs one point and one place above the bottom three, the final straw for him coming with last Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest. A previously unthinkable demotion to the Championship would be devastating for prestige and revenues. Spurs have just seven matches to play.
Tudor’s situation was coloured by human tragedy. He was told after the Forest game of the death of his father, Mario. The club wanted to show as much sensitivity towards the Croat as possible. His other two matches were in the Champions League last 16 against Atlético Madrid, his team going out 7-5 on aggregate. They lost the first leg 5-2 before winning the return 3-2.
Spurs acknowledged Tudor’s bereavement, sending their “support to him and his family at this difficult time”. Tudor’s goalkeeping coach, Tomislav Rogic, and the physical coach, Riccardo Ragnacci, have also departed. Bruno Saltor, one of the club’s other coaches, will take training until Tudor’s successor is announced. Spurs intend for that to happen in the coming days.
They have been exploring the market for a few weeks now, looking for a contingency plan in the event of them having to move on without Tudor. It has not been straightforward, with a number of targets not wanting to commit on a short-term basis for a relegation battle. Spurs do not play again until Sunday week at Sunderland, but time is nonetheless of the essence. Their international players are away with their countries for the current window but they will return towards the back end of this week.
Spurs said Tudor had a “straightforward” mandate when they announced his appointment on 14 February until the end of the season – to “bring organisation, intensity and competitive edge to the squad at a decisive stage of the campaign”. The Valentine’s Day move has ended in sadness.
Tudor’s tenure began with the league defeats by Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace before the first-leg reverse against Atlético, when they were 4-0 down after 22 minutes. He was slated for substituting Antonin Kinsky after 17 minutes at 3-0; the goalkeeper was at fault for two of the goals.
There were signs of hope when Tudor’s team drew 1-1 at Liverpool and played well in the second leg against Atlético, albeit with the tie essentially beyond them. Everything came tumbling back down against Forest.
Spurs have gone 13 league games without a win – the club’s worst run since 1934-35, when they were relegated from the old Division One and Arsenal were champions. The nightmare scenario for Spurs supporters is that history repeats itself. Arsenal are nine points clear at the top. Spurs were last relegated from the top division in 1976-77.
Tudor was given the job at Spurs because of his reputation for having a quick, positive impact at clubs, most recently at Juventus. But try as he did – and he rolled the dice on various approaches – he could get nothing to work.
The 47-year-old was critical of the players at times, most infamously after the Fulham defeat, when he said they were “lacking” in various areas – including all of defence, midfield and attack. He added a fourth: the “brain” department.
Tudor tried different formations and different personnel but it was impossible to ignore the impression that he was flailing, his team so vulnerable to any setback. He made it clear after 10 days in the role that it was tougher than he envisaged and most likely his hardest job in management. The club’s awful injury problems were a part of it. Tudor did not have the answers.
