Igor Tudor’s New Tottenham Hotspur Backroom Staff Profiled | OneFootball

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Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed additions to the coaching staff of interim boss Igor Tudor, with Spurs aiming to support the Croatian as he bids to see off the threat of relegation from the Premier League.

John Heitinga has notably departed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite having the option to stay, and joins Justin Cochrane and Chris Haslam in leaving Spurs following the sacking of Thomas Frank.

Andreas Georgson, Cameron Campbell and Fabian Otte, along with duo of Stuart Lewis and Dean Brill, who were promoted from their roles in the Academy last summer, remain with Spurs while Tudor will bring in Bruno Saltor, Tomislav Rogic, Riccardo Ragnacci and Ivan Javorcic to complete his boot room.

We take a look at the new support staff joining the ranks at Hotspur Way, who Tudor will need to help his time at Tottenham become a success.

Bruno Saltor – Assistant Coach

Brighton legend Saltor began his coaching career with the Seagulls in 2019, immediately after his player career drew to a close. Assisting Graham Potter at Brighton, Saltor followed Potter to Tottenham’s London rivals Chelsea and West Ham United. Saltor managed Chelsea for a single match against Liverpool, after Potter’s departure and before Frank Lampard took over as interim manager.

Saltor has touched upon mental health and disclosed a dark phase during which period he struggled mentally in his final year at Valencia as a player. A strong advocate for embracing vulnerabilities, Saltor has said ‘a healed human being is much more beautiful than a human being who has never suffered.’

The Spaniard has also discussed the importance of mental clarity for a footballer, for only that can allow a player to be in a flow state and play instinctively as, if they take their time to think and ponder, it is ‘too late’ in football.

Tudor, who has been in management since 2013 and has a ‘hard man’ image, is believed to have been brought in to instil discipline in the Spurs squad. Saltor might be prove to be the ideal counterweight to Tudor, as Spurs’ stars develop holistically with both in tandem.

Xavi Simons, who was said to need an adaptation period by Frank, and Mathys Tel, who finds himself in a similar predicament to Saltor at Valencia with regards to displeasure regarding game time, look set to be obvious beneficiaries through time with the Spaniard.

Saltor and Tudor will be working together for the first time.

Tomislav Rogic – Goalkeeping Coach

Rogic’s coaching career began under Tudor at Hajduk Split, with Tudor also taking up his first managerial role. The pair’s paths diverged, with Rogic going on to coach clubs in Ukraine, Russia, Belgium and China and the national side of India, before the pair reunited at Lazio. Rogic followed Tudor to Juventus in 2025.

There is also the small matter of Fabian Otte remaining with Spurs, and the risk of two goalkeeping coaches undermining each other. Tudor should look to build a viable working environment and ensure that disagreements are kept private.

Riccardo Ragnacci – Physical Coach

Ragnacci began his coaching career with Cesena, before proceeding to perform similar roles with a host of Italian clubs such as Cagliari, Bologna, Perugia, Vicenza and Hellas Verona. It was at Hellas Verona that Ragnacci’s and Tudor’s paths first crossed, with the Croat leading the club to a ninth-placed finish in Serie A in 2022.

While Ragnacci stayed on for a further year with Hellas Verona after Tudor’s departure to Marseille, and worked with Lecce and Empoli as Tudor was helming Lazio, the pair reunited at Juventus.

Ragnacci has followed Tudor for the first time and his role with Tottenham will also be his first assignment outside of his native Italy.

Ivan Javorcic* – Assistant Coach

Javorcic and Tudor’s playing careers overlapped, with either man born a year apart. Not only did they play from the mid-nineties to the mid-noughties, Javorcic and Tudor spent their playing careers predominantly in Italy.

It was at Brescia that Javorcic began his managerial career, the club at which he experienced his pinnacle as a player appointing him in a caretaker role. Javorcic went on to manage Mantova, Pro Patria, Sudtirol and Venezia, and guided Pro Patria and Sudtirol to promotion to Serie C and Serie B respectively, the latter being the first in that club’s history.

After an unsuccessful spell with Venezia, Javorcic joined Tudor at Lazio, before following him to Juventus.

*Javorcic has not yet been confirmed as part of Tudor’s staff, though his appointment has been widely expected.

The right backup for Tudor?

Tottenham, who have a fond connection with Croatia through Luka Modric, Vedran Corluka, Niko Kranjcar and Ivan Perisic, will hope that their fellow countrymen, Tudor, Javorcic and Rogic, can in due course, foster a similar sense of endearment with the fans.

Randal Kolo Muani, who scored five times in 11 appearances under Tudor at Juventus and was a significant bone of contention between the manager and the board over the summer, will hope to finally break his Premier League duck under the new manager.

Tudor will want to improve Cristian Romero’s disciplinary record, with the Argentine having picked up six red cards since his arrival, and the soothing words of the backroom staff could be key to helping in that regard.

Tudor has been nicknamed a ‘un traghettatore’, or a ferryman in English, for the jobs he has done over the years, guiding clubs in troubled waters to safety. Spurs fans will surely hope that Tudor can repeat the same in north London.