Inside Futbol

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor is banking on the arrival of his long-time confidant, Ivan Javorcic, as he bids to inject fresh energy and steer Spurs toward much-needed points, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Spurs find themselves in hot water in the relegation fight, still searching for a Premier League win so far this calendar year.

The dismal run of form led to Thomas Frank’s dismissal following a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving him with seven losses on home turf, the joint second-worst home record of the season.

Tudor was swiftly appointed to ease relegation fears, taking charge immediately for the north London derby, in which Arsenal thrashed the Lilywhites 4-1 in front of their home crowd.

Over the weekend, Spurs travelled to Craven Cottage but came up short again, losing 2-1 to Fulham and handing the Croatian boss two defeats from his opening two games.

Stuck in the bottom half, Tottenham sit 16th after four straight losses, with no new manager bounce so far, and one former top-flight star insisting Tudor must convince the squad they are better than they currently believe to ignite a turnaround in performances.

Tudor is now hoping for a lift from the arrival of his long-term trusted assistant, Javorcic, after failing to pick up a point so far.

The 47-year-old’s move to Spurs was delayed by work-permit issues, but optimism is growing that he could soon join the backroom team at N17 and help steer the club toward positive results.

The pair first joined forces in March 2024, when Javorcic rescinded his contract at Venezia to team up with Tudor at Lazio, and reunited the following year at Juventus, where the assistant manager played a pivotal role in helping Tudor secure Champions League qualification with the Bianconeri.

Tottenham, who last secured a league win with a 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in December, will host the same opponents on Thursday, eager to claim points with the Eagles just two places above them.

The Lilywhites have managed only two wins in their last 19 league outings, making this a critical period as the gap to the relegation zone stands at just four points.

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor is banking on the arrival of his long-time confidant, Ivan Javorcic, as he bids to inject fresh energy and steer Spurs toward much-needed points, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Spurs find themselves in hot water in the relegation fight, still searching for a Premier League win so far this calendar year.

The dismal run of form led to Thomas Frank’s dismissal following a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving him with seven losses on home turf, the joint second-worst home record of the season.

Tudor was swiftly appointed to ease relegation fears, taking charge immediately for the north London derby, in which Arsenal thrashed the Lilywhites 4-1 in front of their home crowd.

Over the weekend, Spurs travelled to Craven Cottage but came up short again, losing 2-1 to Fulham and handing the Croatian boss two defeats from his opening two games.

Stuck in the bottom half, Tottenham sit 16th after four straight losses, with no new manager bounce so far, and one former top-flight star insisting Tudor must convince the squad they are better than they currently believe to ignite a turnaround in performances.

Tudor is now hoping for a lift from the arrival of his long-term trusted assistant, Javorcic, after failing to pick up a point so far.

The 47-year-old’s move to Spurs was delayed by work-permit issues, but optimism is growing that he could soon join the backroom team at N17 and help steer the club toward positive results.

The pair first joined forces in March 2024, when Javorcic rescinded his contract at Venezia to team up with Tudor at Lazio, and reunited the following year at Juventus, where the assistant manager played a pivotal role in helping Tudor secure Champions League qualification with the Bianconeri.

Tottenham, who last secured a league win with a 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in December, will host the same opponents on Thursday, eager to claim points with the Eagles just two places above them.

The Lilywhites have managed only two wins in their last 19 league outings, making this a critical period as the gap to the relegation zone stands at just four points.

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Journalist Alex Crook has seen enough to dub Tottenham Hotspur‘s appointment of Igor Tudor ‘disastrous’ and thinks it is clear that the Croatian already feels the atmosphere in the dressing room stinks.

Tudor has been appointed as interim boss with one task, that being to make sure Tottenham are not relegated from the Premier League this season.

Thomas Frank, brought in last summer following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou, struggled to get results and struggled to win over a number of players, being then ultimately shown the door himself.

Tudor has yet to pick up a point as Tottenham boss and saw his side go down to a 2-1 loss at Fulham on Sunday.

The Croatian has been backed by being allowed to bring in a number of his own backroom team and would seem to have little excuse if he cannot get a tune from the Spurs players.

Tudor has never managed in English football before and Tottenham decided to overlook managers who know the Premier League well in favour of bringing him in.

Spurs are in a relegation battle, with one former club star warning the drop would be catastrophic, and Crook is pessimistic.

Game Date Leeds United (H) 09/05 Chelsea (A) 17/05 Everton (H) 24/05 Tottenham’s final three league games

The journalist has seen enough to believe the appointment of Tudor is a disaster and predicted the Spurs players, who do not understand the situation they are in, will throw him under the bus.

He added that Tudor is making clear through his words and body language that he thinks the Tottenham dressing room atmosphere stinks.

“I don’t want to rush to judgement, but already I think this is going to be a disastrous appointment for Spurs”, Crook said on talkSPORT (1st March, 16:56).

“You’ve brought in a manager who is a firefighter, with no previous Premier League experience.

“He’s walked into a dressing room, you can tell by the way he is answering questions and his body language, he thinks the attitude in that dressing room absolutely stinks.

“It’s not going to work because he is an interim manager.

“This group of players chucked Thomas Frank under the bus, he was a full-time, permanent manager. They are not going to waste any time throwing this manager under the bus.

“He has inherited a team who are over-entitled, egotistical and have no awareness of the fact they finished 17th last season and if they finish 17th this season they’ve done well.

“If Tottenham stay up it will be because West Ham and Nottingham Forest don’t get enough points to catch them.

“They are not capable of getting the wins themselves.”

Tottenham have now lost 13 of their 28 Premier League games, winning just seven.

The club’s home form has been dire, with Spurs fans seeing just two wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League all season long.

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Fixture: Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 14:00 UK time

Igor Tudor has picked his Tottenham lineup vs Fulham for this afternoon’s Premier League clash at Craven Cottage, as he bids to turn the page on last weekend’s disastrous loss to Arsenal.

Tottenham are in major trouble in the Premier League and alarm bells have been rung about the possibility of relegation.

While there are those who believe that relegation would offer Tottenham the opportunity to reset, one former Spurs star has cautioned against thinking that and warned it would be catastrophic.

Tudor can change the mood music completely with a win though and he will be targeting all three points against Fulham today.

Fulham won the earlier meeting between the two teams this season, in November, while they also won the last encounter at Craven Cottage, 2-0.

Tudor was boosted in the run-up to the game by both defenders Kevin Danso and Pedro Porro being back in contention.

Another defender, Micky van de Ven, has had an issue with his toe, but has shrugged that off to put himself as the disposal of the Croatian.

Tottenham have a cushion of four points over third from bottom West Ham and can grow that to seven points with a win today.

Guglielmo Vicario is in goal in the Tottenham lineup vs Fulham this afternoon, while in defence to keep things tight at the back, Tudor picks Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Micky van de Ven and Archie Gray.

Midfield sees Tudor go with Joao Palhinha, Yves Bissouma and Conor Gallagher, while Xavi Simons will look to supply strikers Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani.

The Croatian tactician may want to make changes to his Tottenham lineup vs Fulham during the course of the game and his options off the bench include Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs Fulham

Vicario, Porro, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Gray, Palhinha, Bissouma, Gallagher, Simons, Solanke, Kolo Muani

Substitutes: Kinsky, Austin, Danso, Richarlison, Tel, Sarr, Souza, Olusesi, Rowswell

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Former Tottenham Hotspur star Danny Murphy has warned Spurs fans who are saying that relegation might be the best thing for the club, that it instead would be catastrophic.

Igor Tudor’s first game in charge saw the Croatian unable to arrest his side’s decline in form, as Spurs fell to a 4-1 defeat at home.

Tottenham remain winless in 2026 and have the worst form of all sides, notwithstanding Wolves, since late October last year, with the threat of relegation ever-increasing.

Murphy expressed hope that Tottenham will be able to ‘fight their way out of’ their predicament, believing that they will have just enough come the end of the season.

Confident that relegation will be avoided, Murphy though is in disbelief that Spurs are being talked about as relegation candidates, calling the scenario ‘unbelievable’.

Murphy told BBC Sport: “I would be really surprised if they weren’t able to fight their way out of it.

“The games coming up are all huge. I think they will have just enough.

“The fact we are mentioning Spurs going down is unbelievable. It’s absolutely ridiculous really.”

Murphy is also critical of fans who believe relegation would be a positive thing for Spurs, stressing that it would in fact be ‘catastrophic’.

“Whether you blame recruitment or the owners, it would be catastrophic for that club.

“I have heard some fans suggest going down could be the best thing.

“I just don’t see that.”

While Murphy remains confident of Spurs’ chances of staying up, presenter Adrian Durham believes that the threat of dropping into the Championship is very real, just as Richard Keys has also come round to accepting that possibility.

A drubbing against rivals Arsenal at the weekend was a huge blow, but former Premier League defender Steve Nicol insists he saw signs of spirit from Tottenham; they are likely to need that in bucket-loads in the weeks to come.

Tottenham are scheduled to play the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa among their remaining eleven fixtures.

A potential relegation six-pointer against Nottingham Forest is penciled in for 22nd March, while Leeds United visit in May.

Spurs have spent only one campaign outside the top flight since 1950, when they secured promotion back from Division Two by finishing third in the 1977/78 season.

Whatever the qualms of the fans may be, keeping that record intact would likely be in the best interests of everybody involved with Tottenham.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Steffen Freund has told Hamburg that Luka Vuskovic is too good for them and Spurs will ‘definitely’ take him back to north London in the summer.

The 19-year-old has been a long-term project for the London club, starting as far back as in 2023, when they managed to sign him up from Croatian giants Hajduk Split.

Vuskovic was also wanted by Manchester City, who put in a bid to take him to the Etihad.

He arrived in London in July 2025 for Tottenham’s pre-season and then moved out to Hamburg on loan.

In the Bundesliga, Vuskovic has already started to show his potential, featuring at the heart of Hamburg defence in 19 of the 23 league games and recently managing to score against Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich have been linked with holding an interest in the defender, but it has been suggested Vuskovic knows he would not receive substantial playing time at the Allianz Arena.

His loan deal at Hamburg does not contain an option to buy and as a result the club are clear there is currently no way to keep him.

Player Luka Vuskovic Kota Takai Manor Solomon Alejo Veliz Tottenham players on loan at non-UK clubs

Hamburg have held out hope that they can keep hold of Vuskovic, but Freund feels they are in for disappointment as Spurs will bring him back.

The former midfielder also noted that, in his view, Vuskovic is too good for Hamburg, who have simply benefited from the system which sees top talents loaned out to gain experience.

“Tottenham will definitely bring him back.

“He’s playing so well – in today’s football, the system clearly kicks in”, Freund told the Doppelpass programme on Sport1.

“I can’t imagine HSV having a chance of signing him again.

“That’s where the system comes into play.

“He’s too good for HSV.”

One potential spanner in the works for Tottenham could be though if they are relegated from the Premier League.

Igor Tudor has been tasked with keeping Spurs up, with relegation now a real possibility for the north London side.

If Tottenham are relegated, Hamburg could well lean upon that to convince Spurs to leave Vuskovic with them for another season of top flight football.

Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Hamburg sporting director Claus Costa has admitted that there is ‘no way’ to keep Tottenham Hotspur loanee Luka Vuskovic for the long term as the Bundesliga side do not have an option to buy.

Vuskovic has had a breakout season in the Bundesliga, after moving on loan from Spurs in the summer to push his development through regular game time.

The Croatian defender, who turned 19 earlier this month, ranks highly for clearances, aerial duels and tackles and won the Bundesliga young player of the month award for January.

His performances have been so good that Hamburg have already begun exploring options to keep him for longer, with the loan deal not containing an option to buy.

Hamburg boss Merlin Polzin expressed hope recently that Vuskovic could be kept at the club beyond the present loan.

Costa though, has struck a more pessimistic note, especially on any chance of a permanent capture, laying out the facts.

“Contractually, there is no chance that he will stay”, Costa was quoted as saying on the Doppelpass program on Sport1.

“It is purely a loan and we have no way to tie Luka to HSV in the long term.”

Vuskovic’s brother, Mario, is also with Hamburg, but the elder Vuskovic is banned until November and Costa hopes that by dangling the carrot of an opportunity to appear with his brother, Luka can be enticed into spending another year at the German club.

Costa said: “Of course, there is this romantic idea that Luka will one day play together with his brother Mario.”

Spurs are currently in a state of flux and it is unclear whether they will be playing in the Premier League next term.

Furthermore, the big clubs have also started taking note of Vuskovic’s performances, with at least a few amongst them said to be ready to test Tottenham’s resolve in the summer.

Vuskovic has scored four times in the Bundesliga, with one particular finish drawing admiration from his team-mate Nicolai Remberg.

Tottenham fell to a chastening defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the weekend, as Igor Tudor and his backroom staff were handed a reminder of the magnitude of the task at hand, if they needed any.

Richard Keys has revealed he has changed his mind over whether Tottenham Hotspur could be relegated this season, while reminding Nottingham Forest fans he has predicted they could drop.

Both Tottenham and Nottingham Forest find themselves at the wrong end of the table and with West Ham‘s improvement in form, are now in serious danger.

At present, just four points separate the three teams, with the Hammers gaining on the duo that are just ahead of them following two draws and a win in their last three matches.

West Ham’s January transfer business has also been picked as a reason for an upturn in form, with former Premier League star Clinton Morrison namechecking Axel Disasi and Adama Traore as ‘good signings’.

Tottenham, on the other hand, have continued with their damaging run, being beaten 4-1 by Arsenal in Igor Tudor’s first game as interim boss.

Though Steve Nicol saw encouraging signs in the loss, insisting that the players showed spirit, Keys is not too positive about the north Londoners.

Keys has held the opinion that Tottenham will not go down, but now he has changed that view.

Dubbing Tottenham ‘awful’, Keys believes relegation is a very real risk for the club and wrote on his blog: “A quick word on Spurs. How on earth has it gone so wrong?

Person Position Igor Tudor Interim head coach Bruno Saltor Assistant Andreas Georgson Set piece coach Tomislav Rogic Goalkeeping coach Riccardo Ragnacci Fitness coach Tottenham’s key coaching staff

“I agree now with those that believe they could be relegated.

“I hadn’t really seen it as a realistic prospect until now but you’ve got to.

“They’re awful.”

Keys also admitted he got it wrong on whether Thomas Frank would be a good fit for Tottenham, adding: “I remember saying I thought they’d got it right with Thomas Frank. Wrong. They’re in big trouble.”

Nottingham Forest are also in trouble and Keys reminded Tricky Trees fans that he had predicted possible relegation and then turmoil in terms of the ownership.

“If not Spurs – maybe Forest.

“Their fans jumped all over me when they came up and I predicted their future – one that saw them slide ignominiously back to the Championship, just before the owner got bored and packed his bags.

“If they’re not careful it’s coming.”

Dropping into the Championship would mean a big loss of income and that could prove disastrous for Tottenham.

It is unclear whether Spurs do have relegation clauses written into contracts which would see their players take an immediate cut in salary.

Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Former Premier League star Steve Nicol is of the view that the Tottenham Hotspur players did show spirit in their north London derby loss at the hands of Arsenal.

After sacking Thomas Frank right before the local derby against Arsenal, the Spurs faithful would have hoped for a positive outcome under interim boss Igor Tudor, but the Croatian lost his first game in charge comprehensively as the league leaders ran away with a 4-1 win.

Two goals apiece by Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, helped by a criticised defensive performance by Spurs defender Radu Dragusin, means that Tottenham Hotspur are only four points above West Ham United in the last relegation spot.

Spurs are struggling for positive results in the Premier League and are yet to win a league game in the new year, showcasing why relegation has been mooted a very real possibility.

One former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder had made it clear that the new boss had the one job of putting some life into the players who have been ‘shocking’.

Frank’s spell at Spurs was often headlined with suggestions that the Dane was not respected enough by the senior players at the club and the new interim head is now responsible for getting the players together, on his side.

Now despite getting thrashed by Arsenal in Tudor’s first game, former top-flight star Nicol believes that Spurs’ players showed enough spirit in the game.

Nicol feels that the newfound spirit among Tottenham Hotspur players is what is needed in their battle for survival in the Premier League and believes they have enough quality players to sustain their top-flight status.

Club Years Notts County 1995 New England Revolution (interim) 1999 Boston Bulldogs 2000-2001 New England Revolution 2002-2011 Steve Nicol’s managerial career

He added that the only job Tudor had was to get Spurs players ‘together’ and the former Liverpool star saw signs of unity despite the embarrassing defeat.

“Was I the only one that actually saw some spirit in Spurs?”, Nicol said on ESPN FC (11:45).

“I know it finished 4-1, but I saw some spirit there.

“And if you have got that, they have got enough good players.

“It is why they are going to be able to stay up.

“I said last week that the only job Igor Tudor had was to get the players together and get them playing for each other.

“Because of the talent they do have.

“Yes they have got the injuries, so I thought I saw some spirit there.”

Spurs appointed Tudor on an interim basis until the end of the season and the Croatian has been backed with some of his own trusted hands in the backroom team.

Tottenham will hope the Croatian can bring some much needed stability and spirit to the Spurs’ dressing room, helping sustain their top-flight status.

Commentator Sam Matterface has criticised Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin for his defending in the north London derby loss to Arsenal.

The Gunners strolled to a 4-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to boost their title hopes and pile more pain on Tottenham, whose new boss Igor Tudor could not stop the rot.

Eberechi Eze gave Arsenal the lead in the 32nd minute in the derby clash, but Randal Kolo Muani popped up with his first Premier League goal to level matters just two minutes later.

Both teams went in level at 1-1 at the break, but within minutes of the restart, Viktor Gyokeres scored a beautiful goal from just inside the D.

The ball was played across to the Swede, who took a touch to control it and then whipped a shot with his right foot which flew past Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Tottenham defender Dragusin was closest to Gyokeres and Matterface took aim at the Romanian after the goal.

While he thinks the shot gave Vicario no chance, he noted Gyokeres’ first touch took the ball away from him and thinks Dragusin did not react quickly enough, putting no pressure on the ball.

Matterface said on talkSPORT (22nd February, 17:49): “Radu Dragusin has given him like five yards of space to operate in.

Injured Injury Wilson Odobert Knee James Maddison Knee Dejan Kulusevski Knee Rodrigo Bentancur Thigh Mohammed Kudus Thigh Ben Davies Ankle Lucas Bergvall Ankle/Foot Destiny Udogie Thigh Kevin Danso Foot/Ankle Pedro Porro Thigh Tottenham Hotspur’s currently injured players

“His [Gyokeres’] touch is heavy, it goes away from him, but there is no pressure on the ball.

“Dragusin has let him get away with it completely there, never got out to him.

“It’s a brilliant finish from Gyokeres and Vicario was never going to get there.”

Tudor admitted before the game to remembering working with Dragusin and rating him.

The result leaves Tottenham still worrying about the threat of relegation from the Premier League and Matterface believes it is also a reality check that changing the manager will not mean a magic wand being waved.

“Tottenham Hotspur may have changed the manager, but they cannot change their fortunes”, he added (18:35).

“It’s a terrible result for them. It’s a brilliant win for Arsenal.

“And Tottenham Hotspur, if they didn’t think it was happening because they’d changed the manager and changed the system, are now realising that they are still bang in trouble.”

Spurs’ lead over 18th placed West Ham United is now down to just four points and they have a number of tricky clashes on the agenda over the coming weeks.

Tudor takes his Tottenham side to Fulham next up, before then playing host to another side that have been struggling in the shape of Crystal Palace.