New Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach Igor Tudor delivered a short statement over his intentions in north London after being given the job of shifting a team, currently at rock-bottom, away from the threat of relegation.
Spurs are currently five points clear of 18th-placed West Ham in the battle to avoid the drop after a run of just two wins in 17 Premier League games saw Thomas Frank sacked in midweek.
After plenty of speculation over who would take on the job until the end of the season, with Mauricio Pochettino and Robert De Zerbi remaining the frontrunners to take the full-time post in the summer, Tudor’s name seemingly appeared from nowhere.
The Croatian, who has been out of work since being sacked by Juventus back in October after an eight-match winless run, has been trusted with moving Tottenham swiftly up the table, despite having zero experience of management in England’s top flight – something that clearly alarms two former Spurs stars.
However, the 47-year-old, who does have a reputation as a firefighter capable of turning bad situations around, insists he is ready for the challenge ahead.
Speaking on the club’s official website after being officially announced, Tudor said: “It is an honour to join this Club at an important moment.
“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.”
On the appointment, much-criticised sporting director Johan Lange added: “Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience of stepping into challenging moments and producing impact.
“Our objective is straightforward – to stabilise performances, maximise the quality within the squad and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League.”
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What Igor Tudor will bring to Tottenham
In terms of what the Tottenham players and supporters can expect to see from Tudor, it could be night and day from the turgid football being churned out by Thomas Frank.
Indeed, it looks like the under-performing Spurs stars are in for a rude awakening when they return from a five-day break on Monday.
“His style is intense,” George Boxall, a football journalist based in Marseille, where Tudor managed between 2022 and 2023, told BBC Sport.
“The players do a hell of a lot of running. There’s lots of intensity, lots of pressing.
“He is a really strong personality and he could be a good appointment for Tottenham if they feel they need an electroshock.”
L’Equipe journalist Pierre-Etienne Minonzio added: “He asks his players to run a lot. In a previous interview he said ‘if you don’t run, you don’t play’.
“In his one season in Marseille it was always the same way of playing – 3-5-2 – and it was great to watch.
“It was not easy because Marseille’s best player was Dimitri Payet, a very gifted player but not well-known for running, and he didn’t play.
“It was a joke in L’Equipe – if Igor Tudor had Lionel Messi in his squad, Messi would not play!”
A clear warning then to Tottenham’s players as they prepare for Tudor’s first game in charge – the small matter of a north London derby against Premier League leaders Arsenal next Sunday.
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