London: Tottenham Hotspur have parted company with head coach Igor Tudor by mutual consent after just seven matches in charge, as the north London club battles to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Croatian coach, who was appointed in February following the dismissal of Thomas Frank, leaves the club after a 44-day reign that yielded only one point from five Premier League games and five defeats overall.
Tudor did not face the media following last weekend’s damaging 3-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest. The result left Spurs hovering just one point above the relegation zone in 17th place, having not won a league match since late December.
In a statement released on Sunday, Tottenham said: “We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect.”
The club added: “We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time. An update on a new head coach will be provided in due course.”
Tudor’s short spell was marked by inconsistency and misfortune. His only victory came in the Champions League last 16 against Atletico Madrid, a 3-2 win that proved insufficient to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit. A controversial early substitution of backup goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after just 17 minutes in Madrid highlighted the chaotic nature of his tenure.
In the Premier League, results were particularly bleak. Tudor’s side suffered heavy defeats to north London rivals Arsenal (4-1), Fulham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, with their sole point arriving in a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
The 47-year-old arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a reputation for making an immediate impact during a nomadic coaching career that included spells at Marseille and Juventus. However, he was unable to halt the club’s alarming slide towards the relegation trapdoor — a situation Spurs have not faced since 1977.
Injuries have ravaged the squad throughout the campaign, contributing to their exit from all cup competitions and a prolonged winless run in the league. Last season, Tottenham lifted the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou, ending a 17-year trophy drought, but a poor domestic campaign saw the Australian replaced by Frank.
The Dane enjoyed a promising start, with just one defeat in the opening seven league games, but results deteriorated sharply. He was dismissed following a run of only two wins in 17 Premier League matches amid mounting fan pressure.
With Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers seemingly destined for the drop, Tottenham are fighting for survival alongside West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United. Relegation to the Championship would represent a seismic blow for one of English football’s traditional heavyweights.
Spurs, who play in a state-of-the-art stadium with a capacity exceeding 60,000, are regarded as one of the Premier League’s “Big Six” and consistently rank among the world’s richest clubs according to Deloitte’s Money League. Just a few years ago, under Mauricio Pochettino, they were regular Champions League contenders, reaching the final in 2019.
Tottenham are not in action again for another two weeks, when they travel to Sunderland. Former Brighton and Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi has been linked with the vacancy, while Everton manager Sean Dyche’s Premier League survival experience has also been mentioned as a possible option for the remaining seven fixtures of the season.
