Igor Tudor reaches agreement to become Tottenham interim manager until end of season | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur have reached a verbal agreement to appoint Igor Tudor as their interim manager until the end of the season.

The club moved quickly for a short-term solution after dismissing Thomas Frank on Wednesday, with Tudor identified as their preferred option.

The 47-year-old is expected to arrive on a deal running until the summer, with no option included to make the appointment permanent.

Tottenham’s senior leadership, including chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and technical director Johan Lange, have led the process.

The club are set to keep their long-term search separate, with a wider list of permanent candidates to be considered at the end of the campaign.

Tudor’s first match could come in the most intense circumstances possible, with Tottenham due to face Arsenal next weekend.

The former Juventus defender has built a reputation for making an immediate impact during short spells in charge.

He most recently managed Juventus, but was dismissed in October after seven months in the role, with the club sitting eighth in Serie A at the time.

Tudor has also coached at Marseille, Lazio, Galatasaray, Udinese and Hellas Verona. He began his managerial career at Hajduk Split.

Tottenham are turning to him as their injury crisis deepens and their Premier League form deteriorates.

Frank departed after only eight months in charge, with his final game a 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Tottenham have now gone eight league matches without a win and are 16th in the standings, five points above the relegation zone.

That domestic collapse has come despite the club advancing to the Champions League last-16 after finishing fourth in the league phase.

Tudor is expected to bring a more rigid structure and a sharper edge to a squad that has looked fragile and short on confidence.

He is also familiar with some of Tottenham’s senior players, having worked at Juventus during Andrea Pirlo’s coaching staff in 2020-21.

Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur were part of that Juventus squad, and Tudor is known for demanding intensity in training and discipline in games.

It is unclear whether he will immediately implement his favoured 3-4-2-1 system, especially given Tottenham’s current lack of fit wide players.

However, Tottenham will hope his arrival provides a jolt of clarity and purpose in the final months of a season that has quickly drifted towards crisis.