Igor Tudor makes clear Tottenham vow in first words before Arsenal derby clash

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·14 febbraio 2026

Igor Tudor makes clear Tottenham vow in first words before Arsenal derby clash

New Spurs interim boss faces daunting first game in charge against north London rivals

Igor Tudor says it is an “honour” to be appointed as interim head coach at Tottenham as he vowed to “improve results quickly”.

Spurs confirmed on Saturday that the Croatian had been named as their new boss until the end of the season, following the sacking of Thomas Frank earlier this week.

Tottenham - not in action on FA Cup fourth-round weekend - wanted an appointment made before their players return to training following a five-day break on Monday, with Tudor’s first game in charge coming at home against arch-rivals and Premier League leaders Arsenal in the north London derby next Sunday (February 22).

Spurs had always planned to hire an interim coach to see out the current campaign before selecting from a wider pool of candidates to make a permanent appointment in the summer, with Tudor likely to be in contention for the full-time role if he proves successful.

“It is an honour to join this club at an important moment,” he told Tottenham’s official website after his arrival was announced.

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“I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.

“There is strong quality in this playing squad, and my job is to organise it, energise it and improve our results quickly.”

Tudor will hope to live up to Tottenham’s desired remit as an experienced head coach with a track record of going into clubs and making an immediate impact, having been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in October.

He will be tasked with negotiating a long injury list and immediately guiding 16th-place Spurs away from the relegation zone, with the gap falling to just five points with 12 games still to play after their 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle on Tuesday in what proved to be the final match of Frank’s troubled eight-month tenure as the successor to Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham also remain in the Champions League and will have a two-legged last-16 tie to come against one of Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge or Galatasaray next month.

Tudor has also had recent short-term spells at Lazio and Marseille during a managerial career that has also taken in brief stints at Galatasaray, Udinese, Hellas Verona, PAOK, Karabukspor and Hajduk Split.

The 47-year-old also had a 13-year playing career as a versatile defender for the likes of Juventus and Hajduk Split, winning two Serie A titles and reaching the Champions League final in addition to earning 55 senior international caps for Croatia - forming part of the team that finished third at the 1998 World Cup in France.

His only trophy won as a manager to date was the Croatian Cup with Hajduk Split in 2012/13.