Tottenham sporting director, Johan Lange, has dropped a bombshell regarding Igor Tudor than won’t go unnoticed by Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi.
Tudor, 47, was drafted in to replace Thomas Frank, with Tottenham clearly feeling they were starting down the barrel of relegation if sticking with the Dane.
Tudor has only been appointed until the end of the season, and numerous outlets and sources have insisted the expectation is a different permanent manager will be hired in the summer.
On that front, it’s common knowledge Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi are the two leading candidates at present.
A recent report from The Athletic shed light on why Tottenham moved for Tudor in the short-term, revealing he is viewed as a ‘premium’ and modern-day version of the likes of Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce.
In other words, he’s someone who can be relied upon to join a relegation-threatened team late in the season and steer them to safety.
The report stated Tudor ‘twice rescued Udinese from relegation in Serie A, before plugging holes at Marseille and Juventus — ensuring Champions League football on both occasions.
‘Tudor is a premium alternative to the likes of Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce, who built reputations domestically on reviving disastrous seasons.’
But if the latest comments from Spurs sporting director, Johan Lange, are anything to go by, Tottenham are already warming to the idea of giving Tudor the job outright.
“Of course if things go well, he could be here for a long time,” said Lange.
“We interviewed a few [interim] candidates and Igor impressed us very, very much in the interview.
“If you come in here on the Monday and you are playing at the weekend, you need to build relationships with the players immediately.
“You need to come in to build relationships but of course assess the style of the club immediately. He has shown that with great success, not only once but a few times, to come into that.
“That is one of the reasons why we believe he is the best candidate here now, but of course also with his reputation and what he’s done in his career.”
If Tottenham were to appoint Tudor permanently, it may be a sign Spurs no longer see themselves as a club who’ll regularly qualify for Europe, and are now a side content to simply survive in the top flight.
Alternatively, it could mean Spurs believe Tudor’s reputation for being a ‘firefighter’ and a specialist in avoiding relegation is misplaced, and that he’s capable of so much more.
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Latest Tottenham news – Darwin Nunez / Tudor’s first starting XI
In other news, we can exclusively reveal Tottenham have been spoken to by intermediaries regarding the potential return of Darwin Nunez to England.
The former Liverpool striker is perplexed at why his Al-Hilal side signed Karim Benzema in January, a move that resulted in Nunez being omitted from their squad for Saudi Pro League matches.
A quickfire departure from the middle east is now on the cards, and the full update regarding the chaotic frontman can be found here.