Igor Tudor has left his position as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur by mutual agreement with immediate effect, following a difficult six-week spell in charge of the relegation-threatened club
Igor Tudor has departed his position as interim head coach at Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatian took charge from Thomas Frank on February 13 and initially signed a contract to become head coach until the end of the 2025/26 season.
football.london understands that the Lilywhites anticipate appointing a new boss within the next couple of days. Spurs want a head coach in position to greet players returning from international duty, giving the squad adequate time to prepare for the end-of-season run-in.
It's understood that Bruno Saltor has remained and will oversee training for those at Hotspur Way in the interim. An official club statement reads: "We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for Head Coach Igor Tudor to leave the Club with immediate effect.
"Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of Goalkeeping Coach and Physical Coach. We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly."
"We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time. An update on a new Head Coach will be provided in due course." Tudor endured a difficult spell in north London, with his sole victory coming against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16. The 47-year-old's final match in charge came against Nottingham Forest just before the international break.
The East Midlands side swept past Tottenham last weekend, securing three vital points in the battle for Premier League survival. Igor Jesus headed Vitor Pereira's team into the lead shortly before the interval after finding space at the back post.
Morgan Gibbs-White doubled the visitors' lead on the hour mark when he latched onto a cut-back from Callum Hudson-Odoi. Then, in the closing minutes, Taiwo Awoniyi came off the bench and added insult to injury for Spurs.
Tudor was excused from his press conference obligations following the match due to a family bereavement, so Saltor addressed reporters instead. After paying tribute to the Croatian, the former Chelsea assistant coach indicated the Tottenham players buckled under the pressure.
Saltor said: "The players got affected by the rhythm of the game and we couldn't find that rhythm to create more chances. The first half, the first 44 minutes I thought were good, really good, creating chances, getting into the box. In the second half, probably, we were unable to deal with the weight of the game.
"I think in the small details, I thought for 44 minutes in the first half we were the better team. And again, I think any mistake that we make, any small detail goes against us and we're not able to capitalise on the opposition's mistakes.
"And probably that affected the team. And that's our job as coaches, to keep helping the players. And as you can see, the players, they care and they are 100 per cent trying their best.
"But at the moment, it's not enough. We need to minimise any mistakes because we know that we're going to concede a goal."
Following last weekend's result, just a single point separates Tottenham from West Ham in the relegation zone, with Forest moving into 16th place. On whether Spurs can reverse their fortunes, Saltor said: "Completely.
"The best way to do it is focusing every day on doing your best, trying to be the best version of yourself, trying to push through difficulties, focusing on every action, not focussing on the end goal.
"It's just focusing and giving your best every day. That sounds a topic, but that's the only thing that you can do. And players, obviously, as us, we need to reflect on ourselves and try to get the best version because we need it now."