Tottenham Hotspur

Igor Tudor got straight to work at Hotspur Way today (Monday 16 February).

After being appointed on Saturday on a contract which will run until the end of the season, Igor got straight to work at our Enfield training base after he was granted his work permit on Monday.

Meeting his new squad in the afternoon, our Head Coach was then straight onto the training pitches to lead his first session with full focus on preparing the team for Sunday’s north London derby.

Igor then completed his obligatory media duties, including sitting down for his first interview as our Head Coach.

With Igor Tudor joining the Club as Head Coach until the end of the season, he enriches a deep connection between Spurs and Croatia.

In our history, five Croatians have donned Lilywhite and have enjoyed some memorable moments in our colours, especially the trio of Vedran Corluka, Niko Kranjcar and of course, Luka Modric, who were all members of the 2009/10 squad which secured Champions League football for the first time.

The following season, that trio became a quartet with the signing of goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa, who went on to make a single appearance for us, coming in a League Cup north London derby.

Our most recent Croat was Ivan Perisic – a star for the Croatia national team and an iconic player in European football, who played for us for a year before an anterior cruciate ligament injury ruptured his spell in north London.

Luka Modric (2008-2012)

Undoubtedly a Spurs legend, Luka is the Croatian with the most appearances for the Club, playing four seasons in Lilywhite between 2008-2012.

He might have left an incredible legacy at the Club, but what makes his Spurs story so fascinating is the fact that the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner initially struggled in north London.

A young and raw talent, though, patience was given to the midfielder, but that time and effort eventually saw a world beater blossom.

Critical and influential in the side as we secured Champions League football in 2010, he went on to win our Player of the Season award in the following campaign as we finished fifth and reached the quarter-finals of European football’s elite club competition.

Luka’s final season for Spurs was the 2011/12 season, which was his best season in terms of goal return, scoring five times and setting up a further five goals before making the move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, where he spent 13 seasons.

In Madrid, his reputation as one of the world’s greats just continued to grow, winning 28 trophies and becoming one of only five players to have won the Champions League (or European Cup) on six occasions.

He is Croatia’s most-capped player, still playing for his country at the age of 40, which is 20 years on from his international debut. This summer’s World Cup is set to be his tenth international tournament.

Vedran Corluka (2008-2012)

Joining in the same summer as Luka, Vedran Corluka signed from Manchester City on a six-year contract on deadline day in 2008.

Again, like Luka, Vedran was a key part of our iconic 2009/10 squad as we achieved our highest finish since the 1989/90 season.

Playing mainly at right-back, ‘Charlie’ came across a very relaxed player on the pitch and was brilliant in one-vs-one battles.

Very important in helping Luka settle into N17 and getting up to speed in the Premier League, the pair were inseparable in their time together in north London.

He departed N17 on loan in January, 2012, joining Bayer Leverkusen on loan before heading to Russia and Lokomotiv Moscow, where he spent the rest of his career. At the end of the 2020/21 season, he left Lokomotiv and was quickly named the assistant to Croatia Head Coach Zlatko Dalic for that summer’s Euros - a role he still holds to this day.

He played 103 times for his country, scoring four goals and was part of the Croatia squad at five international tournaments, including the run to the World Cup final in 2018.

Vedran never played for Croatia at the same time as Igor Tudor, but the pair did work together for a brief period between 2012-2013, where Igor was assistant coach to Igor Stimac.

Niko Kranjcar (2009-2012)

Luka and Vedran were joined by Niko on the summer transfer deadline day of 2009, joining from Portsmouth, where he had spent three seasons.

A charismatic guy with flair and incredible ability, Niko starred in his debut campaign, scoring six goals and getting five assists as we qualified for top-tier European football for the first time since 1962.

He left the Club in the summer of 2012 to join Dynamo Kyiv, but he returned to the Premier League and London the following year as he linked up with Harry Redknapp once again at QPR.

The Croatian finished his career with Rangers after a spell in the United States with New York Cosmos. Since hanging up his boots, Niko has been working as an assistant coach for Croatia’s youth teams.

Tudor started the game that saw Niko make his international debut - a 1-0 friendly win over Israel in August 2004. The pair went on to play 16 more times together, including all three group games at the 2006 World Cup, with Luka also playing in the final game against Australia.

Niko played 81 times for Croatia, going on to play at Euro 2008 and 2012, scoring 15 goals.

Ivan Perisic (2022-2024)

Ivan became the fifth Croatian to play for us when he joined the Club on a free transfer from Internazionale in the summer of 2022, reuniting with Antonio Conte, who had also been his coach at the Italian giants.

An iconic player in European football, having starred for Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg, FC Bayern and Inter, Ivan arrived in north London with bags of experience and quality.

And that showed in Lilywhite, especially in his dead-ball ability as he racked up the assists with his wand of a left foot.

He continued to demonstrate his quality and value in the early days of Ange Postecoglou’s reign, with his experienced head vital in helping a young side manage games. However, that bright start to life under the Australian was halted by an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

As he continued his significant recovery, the following January, he opted to move home and join Hajduk Split on loan for the rest of the season before making the move permanent in the summer.

He has since signed for PSV Eindhoven, where he continues to produce incredible performances, winning the Eredivisie last year while PSV lead this year’s edition by 14 points with 11 games remaining.

Like Luka, Ivan is a current international player for Croatia, making 150 caps since his debut in 2011 and scoring 38 times. Should he make the 2026 World Cup squad, it would be his eighth international tournament for the nation.

Stipe Pletikosa (2010-11)

Gallery | Aston Villa vs Spurs (WSL)  Tottenham Hotspur

A busy week for our Under-18s continues on Tuesday morning with a trip to Arsenal in the Under-18 Premier League (11am UK).

Jamie Carr’s side head into the match at the Gunners’ London Colney training ground off the back of a 1-1 draw away to Crystal Palace on Saturday, where Oliver Boast’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time ensured honours ended even in the battle of second v third in the league’s southern section.

The reverse fixture against Arsenal back in November ended level at 2-2 as well, with both sides having players sent off in what was Jamie’s first game in charge.

We remain third going into the contest, five points off leaders Chelsea, while the hosts are 10th.

Supporters will be able to follow live in-game updates via our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app, with a full report available on the same platforms afterwards as usual.

Highlights | Under-18s' home north London derby ends 2-2

Our impressive 7-3 win over Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon saw us equal our record for most wins in a single Women’s Super League campaign.

As we ran out winners in the ten-goal thriller at Villa Park - just the second time we’ve scored five or more goals in a league game - it saw us claim our ninth victory of the campaign in the competition.

That levelled our Club record for wins in a campaign, which we set in the 2021/22 season. That year, we also recorded our best-ever season in the WSL to date for both points and finishing place – a fifth-place finish in the table with 32 points.

One of our great players of the modern era, Jan was back in N17 for a weekend of nostalgia with his family that included a trip up the Dare Skywalk, speaking to his adoring fans at half-time and watching us come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Manchester City - and an exclusive interview for us with presenter and Spurs fan, Ben Haines.

One of only 17 players to reach 200-plus appearances for us in the Premier League and one of only 10 to make over 50 appearances for us in Europe, Jan is also Belgium's record appearance maker with 157 caps between 2007-2024, including winning bronze at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Forming a formidable central defensive partnership with compatriot Toby Alderweireld, Jan made 120 appearances of a possible 152 as we finished third, runners-up, third and fourth in the Premier League between 2015/16 and 2018/19. He also started 10 of 13 matches as we reached the UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool in 2019, producing one of the great performances topped with a goal as we beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the Round of 16, first leg at Wembley.

Jan signed off with appearance 315 against Newcastle during the Premier League's return in the 2020 COVID pandemic at St James’ Park on 15 July, 2020. Sadly, there were no fans at his final matches in Lilywhite – making his appearance at half-time with Paul Coyte all the more special.

After Spurs, he had spells at Benfica - where he won the Primeira Liga title in 2022/23 - and Anderlecht, where he played for two seasons before retiring at the end of 2024/25.

Part 3 | Mousa and Toby

We speak about Mousa Dembele all the time - how much fun was he to watch when you were on the same pitch together?

Jan: “Yes, it's a luxury now, everyone has tactics - how we can find the spare man and everyone presses 1v1? We would just give it to Mousa! We didn't have to think about tactics. Just give it to Mousa, he'll beat his guy, then we'd have an extra man high up the pitch, so it was quite easy to play, defensively and offensively!"

Mousa joined in 2012, the same year as Jan, and made 250 appearances for us in all competitions, scoring 10 goals until departing in January, 2019...

People speak so often about your relationship with Toby - what made you two so good? That defence - what made that special?

Jan: “Toby and I, we came from the same education. We played together in Ajax, we played in the national teams together. We knew our strengths and weaknesses. The combination there was... we didn't even speak that much on the pitch, we just knew by growing up together what we expected from each other, and then, obviously, not just the two of us. Again, I'm going to start dropping names, but the full-backs, and then if you have Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier, Ryan Mason, all these guys in front of you, Harry Winks later, then there's not a lot of work that needs to be done. Of course, everything started up front with Harry Kane. If you see what he does for a team, the superstar that he is, he's probably the most humble superstar I've ever met. It all started there.”

Jan (157 caps, 2007-24, Belgium record), Mousa (82 caps, 2006-19) and Toby (127 caps, 2009-23) were all together at Spurs for four years (2015-2019) and were part of Belgium's squad together for 10 years, finishing third at the FIFA 2018 World Cup...

Coming tomorrow...

Part 5 | Retirement, coaching, the future - and the fans

Signe Gaupset has been named your HSBC Player of the Match after she bagged a goal and assist in our emphatic 7-3 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday in the Women’s Super League.

Having already claimed the award three times in her first five appearances in Lilywhite, Signe was once again at her very best at Villa Park and netted her first goal for the Club as we returned to winning ways in style.

Making her sixth consecutive start since joining us last month, the Norway international was just as influential in the game despite playing in a slightly deeper role in this contest, partnering alongside Eveliina Summanen in midfield.

Watch | Signe Gaupset's first goal for Spurs

Looking to respond to the defeat to Chelsea the weekend before, our number eight got us off to the perfect start in the midlands as she linked up well with fellow January arrival Julie Blakstad inside the left of the box before firing home at the near post to hand us the lead on 10 minutes.

Signe was then on hand to provide another special moment for one of our winter additions – Maika Hamano – as she played a lovely ball with the outside of her right-foot to set the Japan international through, who showed composure to take the ball around goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck and slot home into the empty net for her first goal in Lilywhite.

While impressing in her attacking outlet in the 90 minutes, the energetic midfielder won 100 per cent of her aerial duels and producing seven recoveries – the joint-third highest across the two sides - where she began a number of our transitions in attack after winning possession back.

Asked to describe the action-packed 7-3 win at Aston Villa on Sunday, Julie Blakstad replied with a popular phrase used in Norway called ‘Hawaiian football’.

With the Norway international explaining the term is usually used when games are end-to-end, it perfectly sums up what happened at Villa Park in the ten-goal thriller in the Women’s Super League clash, which we ultimately came out on top after seven fantastic finishes to see us return to winning ways in the competition.

With four different goalscorers, a number of first goalscorers for the Club and a healthy advantage at 6-3, our number 41 wanted to get in on the act and, with just five minutes left to play in normal time, she opened her account in Lilywhite, rising highest to Matilda Vinberg’s corner at the front post to flick home.

Nine goals prior to that, Julie provided an assist for Signe Gaupset – who also scored her first goal for Spurs – as the midfielder fired home the opener on 10 minutes, although that seemed like distant memory once the full-time whistle was blown in B3.

Making her third consecutive start for us, after joining us last month, Julie spoke of the ‘good feeling’ to finally get off the mark for the Club and the importance of showing character after setbacks in games.

“It feels really good,” she smiled, reflecting on her first goal. “It was a really good corner from Matilda and I just put my head on it, so it’s a great feeling.”

Talking about the game in general, she added: “We have this saying in Norway - 'Hawaiian football'. I don’t know if you have the same expression, but it was very back-and-forth.

“I think we created a lot of chances, but we also have to be better in our own box to defend our goal. Still, it was fun to play and there were a lot of good goals out there. We just have to keep it going like this. I hope the fans enjoyed it."

She was then asked about the instant reply after Villa’s goals, which Julie pointed towards the character in the squad. “I think that shows great character. That’s going to be really important towards the end of the season - that we stay strong and can bounce back even when we concede goals. We showed that we just keep going the whole game, which is really important.”

Martin Ho heaped praise on the players for showing a ‘ruthless edge’ in front of goal after an impressive 7-3 win at Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.

It was a game full of pretty much everything – end-to-end drama at Villa Park, composed finishes, sensational strikes and players grabbing their first goals in Lilywhite – as we returned to winning ways in style in the competition.

Signe Gaupset opened her account for the Club on 10 minutes to put us ahead in the contest and, despite Kirsty Hanson pulling the home side level, Bethany England and Olivia Holdt got on the scoresheet to give us a two-goal advantage at the break.

Oriane Jean-Francois halved the deficit 15 minutes into the second period, but the floodgates opened once again for us – Cathinka Tandberg stepping off the bench to grab a brace, Maika Hamano and Julie Blakstad scoring their first goals for the Club, while Hanson grabbed a mere consolation goal in the midst of all that, as we moved level on points with Arsenal in the table.

“We've been speaking about having a more ruthless edge with the ball in front of goal because we're creating chances, which we did against Chelsea, and we did again today,” he told us, speaking to SPURSPLAY after the game.

“I'm just glad for the players because I challenged them before this game and I said to them, they need to start being more clinical in front of goal. We've got forwards that can do that, but we're not doing it, and that might seem like too much pressure for some players, but it's actually just the belief that we have in them that we know they can finish. If we don't shoot, we won't score from it.

“It shows the belief in the team, the confidence and the enthusiasm through the group, and there were some really good passages [of play] to those goals and there's probably other passages where we didn't finish.

“We'll be disappointed probably as a group because they want to score more, that we didn't put more in, but I was just delighted for the group and I'm delighted to get some players on who have not had many minutes because all the players have performed and the team's been doing quite well. I thought it was a really professional performance.

“But what we have to be better with is the other side. We have to defend the box better. We give them too many chances around the box, we defended some of them situations well, but we don't want to be conceding three goals.”

Asked about Signe, Maika and Julie all opening their account for the Club, Martin added: “It's good for them to get off the mark as well because you're always probably waiting for that moment and you maybe think it's not coming - it can frustrate you; it can make you doubt a little bit.

“But we know how much quality the individuals have and they just need one of those situations to fall. I thought the three goals were brilliantly taken by the three of them. I'm delighted they're off the mark because that will probably take a little bit of pressure off the shoulders.”

A sensational performance saw us hit seven goals against Aston Villa at Villa Park in the WSL on Sunday.

It was a display worthy of one of the biggest stages in English football as Martin Ho's team racked up 27 efforts at goal, with first goals for Signe Gaupset, Maika Hamano and Julie Blakstad.

Always in control, we found immediate answers when Villa responded - Cathinka Tandberg fired in for 4-2 seconds after Villa made it 3-2 and was there again for 6-3 two minutes after Villa replied for 5-3.

It was a superb response to last week's loss against Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and, for the time being, took us level with Arsenal in the WSL table.

Martin Ho made one change that saw Maika Hamano come in for Matilda Vinberg, while Villa boss Natalia Arroyo rung the changes with five to the team that had lost four on the spin before today.

The direction of travel in this encounter looked set from the first whistle. It took just four minutes for our well-drilled high press to create the first chance as Ellie Roebuck denied Bethany England from close range and a brilliant opener on 10 minutes as Signe Gaupset got away from Miriael Taylor and Lucy Staniforth, exchanged passes with Olivia Holdt and fired home.

Villa levelled against the run of play on 16 minutes as Kirsty Hanson ran on to Noelle Maritz's pass over the top and finished low past Lize Kop.

It was only minor respite for the home team as we dominated the rest of the half. England restored our lead in quick time - our responses, the story of the match - again with Holdt heavily involved, the skipper's shot deflecting off Anna Patten and looping home. It was soon 3-1 as Holdt's effort from Hanna Wijk's cross was initially blocked, but she picked up the rebound, beat Lynn Wilms and beat Roebuck at her near post. That was 3-1 - and 10 efforts at goal inside 30 minutes.

England then hit the post, Hamano blasted over and the Japan playmaker was denied one-on-one by Roebuck all before the half-time whistle.

The second half followed the same pattern. Holdt had an early strike saved by Roebuck, England diverted Blakstad's cross just over and Gaupset went for an audacious lob from halfway, just wide.

Villa kept going though and found another goal for 3-2 on 68 minutes, Oriane Jean-Francois' strike similar to England's in the first half, deflecting off Eveliina Summanen's attempt at a flying block and looping over Kop and home.

The response was instant - 12 seconds. Cathinka Tandberg's first touch of the bench released fellow substitute Matilda Vinberg, her effort was blocked into the path of Tandberg, who dispatched into the corner with a sweet strike from 22 yards.

Three minutes later - 72 on the clock - Tandberg sent Hamano clear on goal and she made no mistake, skipping past Roebuck before clipping home for 5-2.

Villa hit back again with Hanson's second from close range for 5-3 on 80 minutes but within two minutes, Wijk and Hamano set up Tandberg for her double, another clinical finish across Roebuck for 6-3.

Blakstad flicked home Vinberg's corner for 7-3 and Lenna Gunning-Williams almost put the icing on the cake with number eight in added time, her low shot skidding inches wide.