Tottenham Hotspur have announced the departure of Igor Tudor after a dismal tenure lasting just 44 days.
The Croatian coach oversaw just seven matches, losing five of them and emerged with just a single Premier League point. A 3–2 victory over Atlético Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 was not enough to overturn the 5–2 deficit from the first tie in Spain but offered some hope of optimism ahead of the Premier League run-in.
That was soon extinguished by a bleak 3–0 defeat to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest last weekend. Tudor learned of his father’s passing after the final whistle and did not take postmatch duties. Spurs acknowledged this loss in a brief statement released on Sunday afternoon.
“We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for Head Coach Igor Tudor to leave the Club with immediate effect,” it read. “Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of Goalkeeping Coach and Physical Coach.
“We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly. We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time.
“An update on a new Head Coach will be provided in due course.”
Tottenham currently lie 17th in the Premier League table, one point above West Ham United in the relegation zone with just seven matches of the campaign remaining.
What Next for Tottenham?
A quirk of the calendar has afforded Tottenham some time to gather themselves for one final push for salvation. A combination of the ongoing international break and the club’s early FA Cup exit ensure that Spurs are not again in action until Sunday, April 12, when they travel to Sunderland.
The Black Cats are not as imperious on home soil as they were at the start of the campaign—although they do boast more than twice as many points from such fixtures as Spurs (26 to 10). The new look managerial setup will next host Brighton & Hove Albion but the marquee games are against rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers (April 25) and fellow relegation scrapped Leeds United (the weekend of May 9).
The exact makeup of the dugout for those fixtures remains unclear.
Tudor has been followed out of the door by two of his staff members but his assistant Bruno Saltor has remained in place to take training before a more permanent figure is appointed. Saltor will be remembered by some as Brighton’s durable right back while he also served as Graham Potter’s assistant manager at Chelsea and West Ham.
Spurs Set Appointment Timeline After Tudor Sacking
Saltor does have experience as a Premier League caretaker, overseeing a particularly drab 0–0 draw with Liverpool in April 2023. However, he is not expected to step into the breach once again as The Athletic report that Spurs are planning to appoint a successor “in the coming days.”
The next incumbent is expected to have 10 days to prepare for the trip to Sunderland—which would represent almost a quarter of Tudor’s entire tenure.
It is imperative that whoever comes in somehow steers Spurs clear of relegation. The financial repercussions would be catastrophic, with BBC Sport estimating a hit of $332.2 million (£250 million) should Tottenham tumble into England’s second tier for the first time since the 1977–78 campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Igor Tudor Leaves Tottenham in Horrendous Form and Relegation Turmoil.
