Who is Igor Tudor? Attack-focused coach set to sign as Tottenham interim boss | OneFootball

Journeyman manager was once scouted by Fabio Paratici and has worked alongside Andrea Pirlo

Igor Tudor is set to sign as interim head coach at Tottenham in a move which it is hoped will rescue the club from the threat of relegation.

Standard Sport reported on Friday that the 47-year-old Croat had agreed a deal to take charge of the north London club until the end of the season, and that he could be considered for a permanent deal should he impress over the next few months.

He will be tasked with reversing the club’s fortunes after Thomas Frank’s dismal six-month tenure ended earlier this week. The club are languishing in 16th place in the Premier League - just five points above the drop zone - with two wins in their last 11 matches.

Tudor, who is expected to debut in the dugout at the north London derby later this month, must get right down to work as he looks to steady the ship, quiet talk of relegation and win over a disillusioned fanbase.

He promises to bring a brand of “courageous and intensive” football, but it remains to be seen whether he will have the desired impact at Tottenham.

Here’s everything you need to know about Igor Tudor...

Who is Igor Tudor?

Tudor turned to management after a credible 13-year playing career, mostly spent with Juventus and boyhood club Hajduk Split.

An uncompromising but injury-prone centre-back, he played 55 times for Croatia and became a two-time Serie A champion before hanging up his boots in 2008.

As a manager he has proven something of a journeyman, never staying long in any of his roles. The Tottenham job will be his twelfth head-coach position since he made his managerial debut with Hajduk in 2013. He has also worked with Galatasaray, Lazio and Udinese.

Despite playing as a centre-back, Tudor sells an attacking, front-footed brand of football, one which should stand in stark contrast to Frank’s pragmatic approach.

Speaking after taking over Marseille in 2022, he said of his tactical style: “I want courageous and intensive football, not only uniquely based on the defence.

Igor Tudor in his playing days with Juventus

Getty Images

“I want people who come to the stadium to be entertained and not disappointed. It’s inevitable that there’s a part of Italy in me, because I worked there for a long time.

“You have to pick players that are adapted to the game with passion and desire – I’m sure we will get to that point.”

Crucially, Tudor’s style has proven effective in other short-term roles.

He has been out of work since October 2025, when he was sacked by Juventus having gone winless in eight matches, calling time on his second stint with the club.

The first came when he was scouted by ex-Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici to join Andrea Pirlo’s backroom staff, a post he later left after falling out with the legendary midfielder.

Fabio Paratici brought Igor Tudor to Juventus for his first coaching stint in Turin

Getty Images

He returned in March 2025 as head coach and breathed life into a side left drifting after the departure of Thiago Motta.

Tudor instilled a direct, man-to-man style of play which briefly revitalised the Bianconeri, who lost only one of his first 11 matches in charge as he employed a three-at-the-back setup.

Those changes saw him through the end of his first campaign with Juventus, but after exiting the Club World Cup in the round of 16, he struggled to get his side back to form and was dismissed.

That short-term impact could be precisely what Tottenham need to get their season over the line, though, with the club set to consider their options in the summer.