Tottenham have explained why they chose to appoint Igor Tudor as their interim head coach.
The Croatian was on Saturday officially named as Spurs’ short-term successor to the sacked Thomas Frank on a contract until the end of the season.
If successful, Tudor could yet be in the running for the permanent job as Tottenham look to select from a wider pool of managerial candidates in the summer.
In their statement to confirm his arrival, Spurs said Tudor’s “clear focus” was to “improve performances, deliver results and move us up the Premier League table”.
They added that his “straightforward mandate” was to “bring organisation, intensity and competitive edge to the squad at a decisive stage of the campaign”.
Tudor will have to quickly guide injury-hit Spurs away from the relegation zone in the Premier League, with his new side sitting 16th and just five points above the bottom three with 12 matches still to play after Tuesday’s 2-1 home loss to Newcastle that proved to be the final game of Frank’s eight-month tenure.
He could not ask for a tougher start as arch-rivals Arsenal visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in his first match in charge next weekend, with further London derbies to come against Fulham and Crystal Palace before a trip to face Liverpool at Anfield in March, when Spurs will also face a two-legged Champions League last-16 tie against one of Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge or Galatasaray.
Tudor was sacked by Juventus in October and succeeded by former Italy boss Luciano Spalletti following an eight-match winless run, seven months after being first appointed to replace Thiago Motta.
“Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience of stepping into challenging moments and producing impact,” explained Spurs’ sporting director Johan Lange.
“Our objective is straightforward – to stabilise performances, maximise the quality within the squad and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League.”
Tudor has also had short stints at Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray, Udinese, Hellas Verona, Hajduk Split, PAOK and Karabukspor during a coaching career that followed his 13-year spell as a versatile defender for the likes of Juventus, Hajduk Split and the Croatian national team.
