Igor Tudor: Tottenham confirm former Juventus boss as head coach for remainder of season | Football news

Tottenham Hotspur have announced Igor Tudor as their new head coach until the end of the season.

The Croatian's priority will be to keep Spurs in the Premier League following the sacking of Thomas Frank with the club sitting 16th in the table and just five points above the relegation zone.

A club statement made the announcement: “Igor joins us with a clear objective: to improve performances, achieve results and move us up the Premier League table.

“His mandate is simple: to bring organization, intensity and competitive advantage to the team at a decisive stage of the campaign.”

Tudor said of his arrival: “It is an honor to join this club at an important time. I understand the responsibility that has been given to me and my objective is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every game.

“There is great quality in this team, and my job is to organize it, energize it and quickly improve our results.”

Sporting director Johan Lange added: “Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience to come into difficult moments and make an impact.

“Our goal is simple: stabilize performance, maximize quality within the team and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League.”

Spurs will look to appoint a long-term successor to Frank this summer after the Dane was sacked on Wednesday following Tuesday's home defeat to Newcastle.

Tudor, who usually deploys a three-man formation at the back, will take over a Spurs side who have won just two of their last 17 league matches.

The 47-year-old has been unemployed since October after being sacked by Juve, having also managed Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray and Udinese. He has a reputation for stabilizing teams in difficulty in the short term.

Why Spurs chose Tudor…

Spurs were looking to appoint an experienced head coach who is used to coming into clubs and making an immediate impact, and Tudor fits that bill.

Tudor was appointed to Juventus and Lazio in March of each of the last two seasons and has stabilized his results in the short term.

At Juventus, he inherited a team from Thiago Motta that sat fifth in Serie A, outside the Champions League places, after back-to-back defeats capped a disastrous February in which the club was eliminated from the Champions League and Coppa Italia.

Tudor guided Juve to fourth place in Serie A and sealed qualification for the Champions League after losing just one of his 11 games in charge. This earned the Croatian a two-year contract, although Juventus sacked him four months later after results deteriorated.

At Lazio, Tudor succeeded Marizio Sarri in March 2024 for an 18-month contract. The former Chelsea boss resigned after a fifth defeat in six matches with ninth-placed Lazio.

Tudor won five of his nine games as Lazio boss, losing just once, to secure seventh place and qualification for the Europa League. He resigned at the end of the season after three months in charge of the club.

Tottenham's next six games

February 22: Arsenal (h), Premier League – kick-off 4:30 p.m., live Aerial sports

March 1: Fulham (a), Premier League – 2pm kick-off, live Aerial sports

March 5: Crystal Palace (h), Premier League – kick-off 8 p.m.

March 15: Liverpool (a), Premier League – kick-off 4:30 p.m., live Aerial sports

March 17/18: Champions League, round of 16 first leg (opponent to be confirmed)

March 22: Nott'm Forest (h), Premier League, kick-off 2:15 p.m., live Aerial sports