Tottenham agree deal with surprise candidate Igor Tudor for interim manager role

Igor Tudor has agreed to take charge of Tottenham until the end of the season after Spurs decided to appoint an experienced interim head coach to replace Thomas Frank.

Tudor, the former Croatia and Juventus centre-back, emerged as the leading candidate for the role as Spurs assessed a range of options, The Independent understands. There is no option to extend the deal past the summer.

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The 47-year-old was sacked by Juventus in October after just seven months in charge. He previously led them to a fourth-place finish in Serie A, but was dismissed following an eight-game winless run.

Tottenham opted to appoint an interim coach before naming Frank’s permanent successor in the summer. The club sit 16th in the Premier League and just five points above the relegation zone.

Their next game is not until 22 February but it comes against Premier League leaders and north London rivals Arsenal. Frank was dismissed on Wednesday, following the 2-1 defeat against Newcastle.

Although dismissed by Juventus in October, Tudor succeeded in his interim spell in charge of the Italian side as he led them to Champions League qualification after replacing the sacked Thiago Motta.

He was handed a two-year deal in the summer, but results dipped after the start of the next campaign and he was sacked amid an eight-game winless run where Juventus failed to score in four games.

Prior to Juventus, Tudor’s coaching career includes spells at Lazio, Marseille, Udinese, Hellas Verona, Hadjuk Split, Galatasaray, PAOK and Turkish side Kardemir Karabukspor.

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Frank was sacked after just eight months in charge and following a run of just two wins in 17 Premier League games. Results were better in the Champions League, with Spurs qualifying for the last-16 in fourth place of the league phase.

Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is among the candidates for the permanent role, following the 2026 World Cup where he will take charge of the United States.

Marco Rose, the former RB Leipzig boss, and Edin Terzic, who took Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2024, are also contenders ahead of what is expected to be a competitive managerial market in the summer.