Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly appointing a good friend of Antonio Conte's as their replacement for Thomas Frank on an interim basis until the end of this season
Tottenham Hotspur are said to be appointing a good friend of Antonio Conte as their interim head coach until the end of this season.
Igor Tudor has reportedly reached an agreement to replace Thomas Frank for the rest of this campaign, three-and-a half months after being sacked by Juventus. The former Croatia international previously played for the Turin-based club alongside Conte from 1998 until the Italian retired in 2004.
Their paths first crossed as coaches in 2019, when Conte's Inter beat Tudor's Udinese. They then met twice during the 2022 Champions League group stages, when they were in charge of Marseille and Tottenham.
Before the first of those fixtures, Conte told SPURSPLAY: "Marseille are a really good team, and they have a really good coach who I know very well… Igor Tudor is a friend, we played together for many years in Juventus.
"We lifted trophies together; at the same time, we also lost trophies together." They won back-to-back Serie A titles in the early 2000s but lost the 2003 Champions League final to Milan after a penalty shootout at Old Trafford.
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Conte continued: "I've known him a long time. He's a really good guy, a strong person, also, as a player, he was really strong.
"The last time I saw him was when he was an assistant coach at Juventus with Andrea Pirlo. He's a good friend; sometimes, we message on the phone.
He added: "I am really happy to see him on the bench at an important club in Europe like Marseille. He did very well last season in Verona (coaching Hellas), and yeah, he's doing a really good job. I wish for him the best, apart from these two games against us!"
Tudor was similarly complimentary of the then-Spurs coach. He said: "Antonio, I know him as a human being, as a person. When I came to Juventus, I was only 20, and I found a dressing room with players like him [Ciro] Ferrara, [Paolo] Montero, [Alessandro] Del Piero, players who have value, not only as a player but as a person.
"He was one of the guys who was always exemplary, not by speaking but by his behaviour. In the end, the best way to look is to behave the right way.
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"Then, after I had him as assistant coach, when I went to play at Siena, he was assistant coach to me there for one year. Then, after I started trying to be a coach, he was at Juventus - the first time he was there - he let me see all the training for one week, and I learned a lot from him. Now he's one of the best in the world.
"Tomorrow, coaches are there, but I think always decided by players. They are the protagonists, and in the end, they are the ones who will decide the game."
Tudor had his Marseille team train in France the day before their Champions League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, rather than at the away team's stadium, as is customary in UEFA competitions. He explained their decision not to utilise the access they are allowed 24 hours before the match.
The then-Marseille coach said: "We took this decision because we think it's a better option. We could prepare better this morning, as here we don't have much time to prepare for the game.
Tudor then joked: "Because if we prepare the training here, Antonio will see all the training and [managing director of football, Fabio] Paratici from Juventus, they will be there with the camera! So, better prepare this morning in Marseille."