Tudor exit 'inevitable' after Forest loss - Friedelpublished at 07:34 BST 30 March
07:34 BST 30 March
Image source, PA Media
Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brad Friedel, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast about Igor Tudor's departure: "After the Nottingham Forest game [which Spurs lost 3-0 on 22 March] - although I hate seeing this merry-go-round of managers - I thought it was inevitable."
On what should happen next with the manager's position: "The most important thing is staying in the league. The long-term solution and building can't take place until you know whether you're building from the Championship or the Premier League.
"There aren't a lot of top-quality, long-term, visionary head coaches who would jump into this job right now, unless they had a break clause if they're relegated in the summer. And then is that good for the club, to bring in another manager and then have to release them after seven games?
"You're almost stuck in a position where you have to bring in a short-term replacement."
De Zerbi top target with short-term Dyche move facing stumbling blockpublished at 07:12 BST 30 March
07:12 BST 30 March
Sami Mokbel Senior football correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
Roberto de Zerbi, who is available following his exit from Marseille earlier this season, is a primary target and Tottenham, prior to Sunday's official announcement of Igor Tudor's departure, tried to ascertain whether the Italian is open to the job.
Elsewhere, there is believed to be an interest in appointing Sean Dyche on a short-term basis.
Dyche, who is available after his sacking by Nottingham Forest in February, has a record of keeping clubs in the Premier League - a relevant trait given Spurs' relegation fears.
However, it is understood Dyche would seek a minimum 18-month contract, which could prove a stumbling block towards any agreement.
Mauricio Pochettino would be the choice of many supporters given his relatively successful previous reign at the club, but his commitments to the USA national team before this summer's World Cup would make an immediate move extremely difficult.
Candidates with Tottenham connections such as Ryan Mason, Harry Redknapp and Tim Sherwood would be open to taking the job on an interim basis until the end of the season, while current player Ben Davies has also been considered as a possible short-term fix.
Former Monaco head coach Adi Hutter is another potential candidate, while former players Glenn Hoddle and Chris Hughton have also been touted as interim appointments.
'Wary of an emotional appointment' - fans on Tudor's potential successorpublished at 19:29 BST 29 March
19:29 BST 29 March
Here are some more of your views on Igor Tudor's Tottenham exit and who you want to be appointed as his successor:
Steven: Igor Tudor's departure is the right call, though it's hard not to feel some sympathy for him given the nightmarish circumstances. He inherited a squad depleted by injuries and a team already in a downward spiral. However, with the club now sitting just one point above the drop zone, we couldn't afford to wait for a turnaround that didn't look likely to materialise. With seven games left, we need a decisive appointment - someone who can command the dressing room immediately and inspire a squad that looks completely bereft of confidence.
Charles: Tudor was a high-risk appointment by the management which has left Spurs in a very vulnerable position. Let's please hope for Sean Dyche - a pragmatic manager with heaps of experience at the lower levels of the Premier League and a decent, empathetic man who will surely get the best out of a team wholly lacking in confidence.
Sebastian: They should get Ryan Mason, Robbie Keane and Harry Redknapp in to try to sort this mess out.
Dave: Just seemed to be a desktop/spreadsheet-based appointment by the obviously highly able football experts who run the club, which was always doomed to fail. We needed, and need ( though too late, I think), a battle-scarred Premier League savvy, survival expert. While I'm up for, say, a Spursy Tim Sherwood/Robbie Keane ticket, I recall the experience of Alan Shearer not being able to keep Newcastle up a few years ago, so am wary of an emotional appointment.
Julie: When are people going to realise that keeping on sacking managers is ridiculous. It's the players that need sacking, not the managers. Any decent manager should stay away from this club and the fans are just as bad for keeping on asking for managers to be sacked. Tottenham have won nothing.
Mervyn: Who should manage Spurs until the end of the season? Harry Redknapp! Do you think that he would be the new Roy Hodgson? I don't think so. Harry is too old and just a celebrity now. Glenn Hoddle could turn out good partnered with any current member of staff who might be thought suitable for managing the club next season.
Tom: I don't really understand the hate Igor Tudor got. I believe we are one point better off than if we had stuck with Thomas Frank, who is by far the worst manager this club has ever had. Picking up the pieces of that catastrophe was always going to be a herculean task. I wish him well for the future.
'There is no time left to waste - the next move has to be perfect'published at 18:30 BST 29 March
18:30 BST 29 March
Ali Speechly Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
So 44 days might not sound like a long time, but in the case of Igor Tudor and Spurs, it was 44 days too long.
The appointment was always inappropriate and unlikely to succeed. A strict disciplinarian who had never coached in the Premier League before, let alone with any connection to Tottenham Hotspur, was always going to struggle to galvanise a squad this severely lacking in confidence and so desperately depleted by injuries.
Indeed, Tudor never seemed comfortable with the players or committed to the significant task at hand.
His Antonio Conte-style news conferences served as early warnings as he appeared to distance himself from the challenge. His physical training sessions did little to boost morale or improve players' understanding of what was expected tactically.
His mishandling of our young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was a red flag that, ultimately, could not be ignored.
There was a moment of respite as we clawed a point off Liverpool and claimed a victory against Atletico Madrid, but even the most hopeful of fans sensed these were probably false dawns.
The fact that someone, somewhere in Lilywhite House thought it was the right move to appoint Tudor in the first place is what concerns me most.
The club wasted time waiting for things to click with Thomas Frank, who should have been sacked weeks, if not months, before he eventually was.
To then appoint someone like Tudor simply speaks to the astonishing incompetence playing out in the boardroom right now.
There is no room for error any more. There is no time left to waste. The next move has to be perfect.
We need a manager who is going to remind these players of their quality, connect with them, inspire them and lead the way to Premier League survival.
Ideally, it will be someone who knows and loves Spurs as much as we do.
🎧 'Another desperate act by Tottenham'published at 18:17 BST 29 March
18:17 BST 29 March
Katie Smith is joined by football correspondents Sami Mokbel and John Murray, as well as former Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel, for an emergency edition of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast after Igor Tudor left Tottenham after just 44 days in charge.
What is the root of the problem for Spurs? Who is capable of keeping them in the Premier League? What should the club do next? And how much worse would things get if they were relegated?
Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
'Tudor episode reflects badly on Spurs board'published at 17:18 BST 29 March
17:18 BST 29 March
Phil McNulty Chief football writer
Image source, Getty Images
Igor Tudor was a left-field gamble that went wrong from the start.
His unique selling point, in an appointment that smacked of panic from Tottenham's hierarchy, was that he had a chequered coaching career but a record of having the sort of instant impact the club required.
This never materialised. He became the first man in charge of Spurs to lose his first four matches, starting with that heavy 4-1 home defeat by Arsenal.
Tudor's brusque, plain speaking style got no more out of the Spurs squad than Thomas Frank's more empathetic approach. It never made any connection with the Spurs players, while a welter of tactical shifts hinted that he was struggling to work out how to get the best out of the shambles he had inherited.
The low point came in the Champions League last 16 first leg at Atletico Madrid when he gambled on selecting Antonin Kinsky in goal ahead of first-choice Guglielmo Vicario, only to remove the young Czech after just 17 minutes following two catastrophic errors that left Spurs 3-0 down in an eventual 5-2 defeat.
Tudor was also criticised for the manner in which he ignored Kinsky when he went off, comfort being left to his colleagues on the pitch, as well as Conor Gallagher and Dominic Solanke, who followed him down the tunnel to console him.
Improvement could be detected in the deserved draw at Liverpool before an honourable win in the Champions League exit to Atletico – but normal dismal service was resumed in last Sunday's highly damaging 3-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.
In Tudor's defence, he took over a shell-shocked and struggling squad decimated by injuries and stripped of confidence. There is no guarantee anyone else would have done markedly better.
In this emergency situation, Spurs had to act, but the whole episode reflects more badly on those at the top of the club than it does on Tudor.
George: I'm relieved, frankly. I was optimistic to begin with because of his saviour pedigree on the continent, but the Premier League is an entirely different beast. Please get Harry Redknapp in - nobody else available makes as much sense to me.
Steve: We now need stability and confidence. We need a Spurs man. Harry Redknapp and Tim Sherwood. Maybe Ryan Mason and Ledley King too. Harry will bring confidence, the other three belief and tactical nouse. One last roll of the dice for the Spurs board - don't mess it up!
Clare: We should never have gone with Tudor and took too long to sack Thomas Frank (should never have sacked Ange Postecoglous either). They have to get this right. At this point in time they need to get the players on board to find out who they're actually going to listen to. Maybe Ryan Mason? He's done it twice already but I'd hate for it to go wrong for him.
Derek: Might as well go for Ben Davies. He's been at the club longer than anyone and seen a lot of managers come and go. Then get Kieran McKenna after relegation as he knows the Championship well.
Leslie: Wishing Tudor the very best after his sad loss. However, he was never right for the job. We need to win three of our last seven games. I would like to see Glenn Hoddle and Ryan Mason take over as both are Spurs through and through.
John: Tim Sherwood would get us out of trouble and I still feel he is the man we need.
Pete: A gamble that hasn't paid off when we should have been looking at a manager with a proven track record. The players need to be held accountable for the position we find ourselves in. It's all very well blaming our injuries, but we still should have enough to be a lot further up the table than we are. Whoever comes in now needs to identify a leader and build the squad around them.
Philip: It makes no difference who the next head coach is unless and until something fundamental changes with the overall management of the club. Who is planning and strategising now for next season in the Championship or to improve significantly on 17th in the Premier League, and how will this be achieved? A quick-fix managerial appointment now or in the close season, or worse still, after the World Cup finishes will not address all the fundamental issues of rottenness in the management of this once great and proud club.
John: Should have stuck with Tudor. Now it's going to take a month or more to bed in the new coach. It's time we don't have. The management of this club is deplorable.
The stats behind Tudor's demisepublished at 16:33 BST 29 March
16:33 BST 29 March
Image source, Getty Images
Before being appointed by Tottenham, Igor Tudor had been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in October following an eight-match winless run.
He leaves Spurs as one of only six managers to take charge of at least five Premier League games and fail to record a win.
Among the reasons given for Tudor's appointment was to introduce more attacking football, following criticism of their style of play under Thomas Frank.
Spurs did average slightly more shots per game under Tudor (11.6) than Frank (11.1), but they regressed in other metrics, including goals scored (0.8, down from 1.4), expected goals (xG) (1.0, down from 1.1) and touches in the opposition box (21.0, down from 24.3).
Tudor's Tottenham had the third lowest xG across Premier League teams during his tenure - and only three teams managed fewer big chances.
Defensively, they faced the fifth most shots, fourth most shots on target and conceded the second most xG.
Only Burnley and Newcastle faced more big chances (17) than Spurs (16), while only Burnley (167) allowed more touches in their own box (161).
He celebrated his first point after Richarlison scored a 90th-minute equaliser at Liverpool, and then watched his side win their second leg against Atletico - although they failed to overturn their three-goal deficit.
However, their woeful 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest heightened Spurs' fears of suffering their first relegation from the top flight since 1977 and proved to be the final game of Tudor's brief spell in north London.
The single point which Spurs have collected since Tudor's appointment is the fewest in the Premier League during that time.
But they have been bottom of the form table since mid-December.
They are winless in 13 league matches since a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on 28 December - 88 days ago - while their last win in any competition was against Eintracht Frankfurt on 28 January.
Among their issues this season has been an extensive list of long-term injuries to key players, including attacking players James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
Tottenham will resume their league campaign after the international break with a trip to 11th-placed Sunderland on 12 April.
Tudor leaves Spurs - send us your viewspublished at 15:52 BST 29 March
15:52 BST 29 March
Image source, Getty Images
Here is Tottenham's full statement confirming the departure of Igor Tudor after just 44 days.
"We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect.
"Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of goalkeeping coach and physical coach.
"We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly. 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."
What's your immediate reaction to the news? And who do you want to be in charge next?
'We have missed Kulusevski and Maddison enormously'published at 16:08 GMT 26 March
16:08 GMT 26 March
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on how much Spurs have missed injured winger Dejan Kulusevski this season.
Here are some of your comments:
Chris: Huge. He's the best player in the squad, alongside Maddison, when both are fit. The heart of our midfield has been ripped out. Let's not forget too that Kulusevski can play in several positions. Always 110% effort, unlike 90% of the current first XI.
Andrew: We've missed him a lot. Probably the biggest loss of all. A very good "outlet" player - had strength, power, decent pace and wasn't afraid to shoot from distance. You'd like to think he'd return and get close to his best form but, sadly, I doubt it.
Hec: We have missed him and Maddison enormously. No creativity at all. But poor managers, team selection and tactics have also contributed enormously. The silence coming from N17 is deafening. Does this mean that Tudor is staying? No, please no!
Tom: Of our top five goalscorers from last season, we've lost four - Johnson (18), Maddison (12), Son (11), and Kulusevski (10) - while Solanke (16) was out for half the season. No team survives when they lose so many goalscorers and don't replace those goals.
Andy: We've missed Kulusevski simply because we are so lacking in quality players at Spurs. Ironically we haven't missed him as much as we could have, because his best position - right-sided attacker - was filled by Kudus (up until he got injured too!) who is a better player. But of course in Maddison's absence, he could have played as a number 10 - his other position. The player we have missed the most, though, is Maddison.
How much have Spurs missed Kulusevski?published at 11:41 GMT 26 March
11:41 GMT 26 March
Dejan Kulusevski's continued absence could hardly have come at a worse time for Tottenham.
The 25-year-old posted on social media that his knee is "great" after social media footage showed him limping while visiting Sweden's national team camp this week, but there is still no timeline for his return.
Kulusevski has scored 25 goals and provided 30 assists in 146 appearances for the club since his move from Juventus, initially on loan, in January 2022, and Spurs have missed his creativity for 10 months now.
The difference in attacking output and results with and without him is stark.
Since his debut, Spurs have played 116 Premier League games in which Kulusevski has featured, winning 54 times - a win percentage of 46.5%.
They have played 47 times in the league without him, winning just 13 times - a win percentage of 27.7%.
Their average goals per game is two with Kulusevski in the team and 1.3 without him, while their points per game drops from 1.5 to 1.1 in his absence.
Of course, the majority of Tottenham's games without the forward have come this season, when their form has put them in the battle to avoid relegation.
However, how much of an impact would Kulusevski have had on Spurs' campaign should he have been available throughout?
Tottenham fans, how much have you missed Kulusevski this season? And what impact would his availability have had on your league position and performance?
Gossip: Keane would have Ferencvaros' blessing if he left for Spurspublished at 10:54 GMT 26 March
10:54 GMT 26 March
Ferencvaros chief executive Pal Orosz has said head coach Robbie Keane would leave with the club's blessing - if he got the Tottenham Hotspur job. (The National), external
'Knee is great now' - Kulusevski gives injury updatepublished at 09:14 GMT 26 March
09:14 GMT 26 March
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski has issued an update on his continued rehabilitation, saying his knee is "great" after a recent "intervention".
Kulusevski has not played since May 2025 after seriously injuring his knee in a challenge with then-Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
The injury required surgery on the Sweden international's right patella, but he was expected to return around the end of last year.
He has remained sidelined for longer than expected however, with former Tottenham boss Thomas Frank saying before his dismissal last month that he "didn't know" if Kulusevski would play again this season and current interim head coach Igor Tudor saying on Friday there is no timeline yet for his return.
Images on social media showing the 25-year-old limping at his country's national team camp this week had also sparked concern among Spurs fans.
In a post on his Instagram story, Kulusevski said: "Just to clarify things. I'm limping because I had a small intervention in the knee two weeks ago.
"Went in and took out what was not suppose to be there. Knee is great now. Thanks for all the support."
When asked about Kulusevski before Thursday's World Cup play-off against Ukraine, Sweden manager Graham Potter said: "Dejan is making progress, but not as quickly as we would have liked."
Where do Spurs go from here?published at 17:57 GMT 25 March
17:57 GMT 25 March
Phil McNulty Chief football writer
Image source, Getty Images
Igor Tudor's position as Tottenham head coach is under major threat with the club's hierarchy facing another defining decision.
So what can Spurs do next to stop the slide?
Stick with Igor Tudor?
Tudor, after four successive defeats, actually inspired improvement from Spurs in a deserved draw at Liverpool before beating Atletico Madrid – albeit in a losing Champions League cause – but normal service was resumed with the humiliating loss to Forest.
Do those in charge of Spurs really believe Tudor has the ability to pull them out of the mire – or do they acknowledge they made a serious error and it is time for another change?
Send for former Spurs firefighter?
This is the biggest dilemma CEO Vinai Venkatesham and his fellow power brokers face as they work on a strategy before their next Premier League game, away to Sunderland on 12 April.
It might be one thing to decide Tudor has to go, should they chose to make that change, but who can realistically step in for what is now a firefighting job?
Former manager Harry Redknapp has indicated his willingness to return, but is now 79 and has not worked in management since being sacked by Birmingham City in May 2017.
Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle has also suggested he would be interested, but once again this would be a dip into the distant past
Ryan Mason is a well-respected and popular figure having twice served as Spurs' caretaker manager but his reputation took a hit after being sacked by West Brom.
Tim Sherwood, the former player who left Spurs in May 2014 after a six-month spell as permanent head coach, has made it clear he fancies the job while Robbie Keane, currently at Ferencvaros in Hungary, falls into the category of the younger up-and-coming manager.
Should Spurs make big move now?
Should they throw caution to the winds and try to bring in a full-time appointment now to save their season from the ignominy of relegation?
Mauricio Pochettino would top a fan poll as the permanent successor to Thomas Frank – the Argentine still a much-loved figure after taking Spurs to the 2019 Champions League Final.
If Spurs are to seek an immediate full-time appointment, this leaves Roberto de Zerbi as frontrunner. The talented but combustible Italian established a fine reputation at Brighton and is available having left Marseille by mutual consent in February.
Any other takers?
Sean Dyche's name has inevitably been linked after a good body of work fighting against the odds while Austrian coach Adi Hutter is a rank outsider after being sacked by Monaco in October.
Is break 'invaluable' or 'won't make a blind bit of difference'?published at 11:02 GMT 25 March
11:02 GMT 25 March
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on whether the international break has come at a good time for Spurs, who are battling against relegation from the Premier League.
Here are some of your comments:
Wayne: I'm been a Spurs fan all my life and this is the worst squad I've seen. Simply I don't think we're good enough to win any of our remaining games. The international break may help, but most of the remaining fit players will be playing for their countries, so there won't be any rest. I still believe we can maybe survive hopefully.
JP: The break certainly won't hurt them.
Michael: The situation is dire but not unique, some of us remember the previous relegation with a decent squad. Replacing Tudor is paramount, obviously he has personal issues but has failed to lift or seemingly connect with the squad. He hasn't managed to change any problems that occurred under Frank. Injuries have played a great part and the failure of the hierarchy to deal with this calls them into doubt too.
Wally: I think the break will be invaluable, giving some of the injuries time to heal and get back closer to a stronger team. It needs a new manager to implement some basic common-sense football. Will it happen? Who knows.
Martin: Can't see Tudor wanting to stay under the circumstances. Players now ought to step up but, starting with the shameful sacking of Ange, they have been badly mismanaged and I don't think they have much left to give now. It's as if the club doesn't understand human motivation and thinks of players solely in terms of return on investment. So we need a great motivator, wish we could have Poch right now!
Stuart; They need to get an ex-player in until the end of the season. Someone who knows the club. Then get Poch back after the World Cup.
Paul: Don't think it would a blind bit of difference if they had two months off. They have no heart and stomach for a relegation battle.
Stuart: I cannot see that sticking with Igor Tudor is a viable strategy at all. He has failed to inspire, relate or deliver, seemingly tactically not astute. The difficulty is who instead? Harry Redknapp is out of practice but a good man-manager, Glenn Hoddle was somewhat divisive in his spell with the players and Ryan Mason never convinced in his results in previous spells when our plight was not as perilous. The others (Sherwood, Keane etc) are also unproven and De Zerbi may be the best bet if interested but if it was me, I would want a relegation exit clause.
Spurs 'perilously close' to Championship footballpublished at 06:59 GMT 25 March
06:59 GMT 25 March
Pat Nevin Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty Images
The real drama this weekend was in north west London as Manchester City won the Carabao Cup final to quash any hopes of an Arsenal quadruple.
From Wembley to Tottenham might only be about 12 miles, but right now it might as well be 12 light years away for Spurs.
The lack of fight needed to stay in the Premier League was all too apparent in the 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest.
It has been a long time since a true giant of the English game has been relegated, but even the most die-hard Lilywhite knows this is a possibility edging towards a probability right now.
Could international break help Spurs 'plan their route to survival'?published at 16:31 GMT 24 March
16:31 GMT 24 March
Gary Rose BBC Sport journalist
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The relegation battle looks like being the most fascinating fight in the latter part of the season.
Tottenham have had a torrid campaign but just appeared to be building some momentum with promising performances and results against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid before Sunday's hugely damaging 3-0 home loss to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.
Spurs are the only side in the Premier League without a league win in 2026. Only three sides in the competition's history have had a longer run without a victory - and all three were relegated.
Perhaps a few weeks away from matches is just what they need to plan their route to survival.
"The worrying thing for Spurs is the impact of this after a week in which they had some hope and a bit of belief," former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy said on Match of the Day.
"At home they have conceded 28 goals - only Wolves have conceded more. This is collectively poor and the manager is in a precarious position."
Spurs fans, has the international break come at a good or a bad time? In what shape do you think Tottenham will return to face the rest of the season?
Image source, PA Media
Image source, Mirror/Express/Star
