Remember me
Tottenham have appointed Igor Tudor until the end of the season (Picture: Getty Images)
Igor Tudor has been put in charge of Tottenham until the end of the season, a move Martin Keown reckons is a huge gamble on a manager who has had a career ‘like a plumber.’
The 47-year-old is taking over in north London after the dismissal of Thomas Frank last week.
The Dane only took over in the summer but his reign has come to an abrupt halt with Spurs languishing in 16th in the Premier League table, with just seven wins from 26 league games.
The Champions League has been going much better, with Tottenham already into the last 16 of the competition, which means Tudor takes on a club in an unusual situation of facing relegation fears and European hopes.
The Croatian arrives for his first job in English football with a reputation as a short-term fixer, having been appointed as manager 12 times in the last 13 years and generally hitting the targets set out for him.
Keown is not on board with this style of short-term appointment, though, comparing the job to a plumber and warning Tottenham of the ‘huge gamble’ they are making.
‘I don’t know how it is that this guy’s ended up being this trouble-shooter manager that we talk of,’ Keown told talkSPORT. ‘Marseille, Lazio, Juventus, he hasn’t done a calendar year at any of these club.
Get your football fixDon't want to miss the week's biggest football stories? Metro's exclusive football newsletter, In The Mixer, is your essential guide.
From the latest transfer rumours and managerial moves to analysis of the biggest games and a lot more, our experts have you covered.
Sign up here, it's an open goal.
Tudor has built a reputation for producing short-term success (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I just didn’t think it would every become a thing that we’d have a manager – like a plumber – he just goes in, quick fix and off and gone again.
‘I just find it quite remarkable that we now have this situation within a football club. It’s a huge gamble.’
‘I was hearing rumours…’Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan is sure that Tudor is not a long-term answer for Spurs, but feels Tudor may well do the job Spurs are asking him to do.
‘Football guys understand the business of football, they understand what they need to do and if they’re good communicators in the short-term [it could work],’ said Jordan.
Thomas Frank was dismissed earlier this month (Picture: Getty Images)
‘It’s the longer-term that you look at the Igor Tudors of the world and go, does it work? Clearly he doesn’t work. He’s had 13 jobs in 12 years.
‘He’s not a long-term fix. Spurs have never said he’s a long-term fix. He’s a fix for now.
‘I was hearing rumours it was going to be Ryan Mason and Ledley King stepping in, that was some of the thinking that was apparently going on. So maybe we be grateful for this one.’
Igor Tudor Managerial RecordHajduk Split
29 April 2013-4 February 2015
Played: 78 Win %: 44.87
PAOK
18 June 2015-9 March 2016
Played: 45 Win %: 37.78
Karabükspor
18 June 2016-15 February 2017
Played: 21 Win %: 38.10
Galatasaray
15 February 2017-18 December 2017
Played: 34 Win %: 55.88
Udinese
24 April 2018-7 June 2018
Played: 4 Win %: 50.00
Udinese
20 March 2019-1 November 2019
Played: 22 Win %: 40.91
Hajduk Split
2 January 2020-21 August 2020
Played: 18 Win %: 50.00
Hellas Verona
14 September 2021-28 May 2022
Played: 36 Win %: 38.89
Marseille
4 July 2022-1 June 2023
Played: 48 Win %: 56.25
Lazio
18 March 2024-6 June 2024
Played: 11 Win %: 54.55
Juventus
23 March 2025-27 October 2025
Played: 24 Win %: 41.67
On Tudor’s appointment, Spurs sporting firector Johan Lange said: ‘Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience of stepping into challenging moments and producing impact.
‘Our objective is straightforward – to stabilise performances, maximise the quality within the squad and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League.’
The Croat, who won two Serie A title with Juventus in his playing days, said: ‘It is an honour to join this club at an important moment.
‘I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.
‘There is strong quality in this playing squad, and my job is to organise it, energise it and improve our results quickly.’
Igor Tudor (front right) was part of the Juventus team which played in the 2003 Champions League final (Picture: Getty Images)
‘There’s not enough time to do a job’
Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood has questioned why Tudor would even want to do the job, saying there is almost no upside to taking the interim role.
Sherwood reckons there is almost no chance Tudor can get the job permanently, he will get no credit for just steadying the ship and if it goes badly then his reputation will be in tatters.
‘For him, very little upside,’ Sherwood told Sky Sports. ‘Managing a wonderful football club in Tottenham Hotspur, I think he said he’s proud to get the opportunity to do that.
Alan Shearer says Arsenal were 'better' without Mikel Arteta's £67.5m signing
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to sign £55m Liverpool star
Man Utd urged to hire Champions League manager to catch Arsenal and Man City
‘But he has to win the Champions League and win 90 per cent of the games in the Premier League for him to have any chance of taking that job in the long-term. That job is going to Mauricio Pochettino if he wants it.
Former Spurs boss and current USA manager Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be the number one target in the summer (Picture: Getty Images)
‘The downside is so catastrophic, it’s not even worth thinking about. Tottenham Hotspur being in the Championship next season. I get shivers thinking about it.
‘There’s not enough time to do a job. There’s injuries to the squad. If he has a good run and finishes 12th in the Premier League, he’s not going to get any credit for that. I believe he should, but no one’s giving him any credit for Tottenham Hotspur finishing 12th. But if he was to get them relegated then we’d all know his name for a long, long time.’
Tudor starts his Spurs stint with a tough test as Arsenal arrive to take on their local rivals in the Premier League on Sunday.
Arrow MORE: Man Utd told to avoid ‘big Michael Carrick mistake’ after double manager blow
Arrow MORE: Chelsea eyeing record-breaking £43.5m star after failed Jeremy Jacquet transfer
Arrow MORE: Gary Neville reveals the ‘worst decision’ Ruben Amorim made at Manchester United
Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source Football Newsletter – In The MixerPunchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro's football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.
Comments (0)