Tottenham Hotspur

Bardi
Fan writer

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It was not supposed to end like this. The whole rationale behind appointing Igor Tudor was survival.

We were promised a firefighter, someone to implement a simple, reliable system, but instead we got more confusion, more chaos and more fuel on the fire.

Tudor did not extinguish the flames; his every action, word and decision only intensified the blaze. This is not a club that needs more heat.

It needs a calming presence, a steady hand and a formation both players and supporters can believe in.

Our football veered wildly between extremes, from chaotic to passive, from a reckless, man-to-man high line to the baffling sight of left-backs and central midfielders deployed as right wingers.

The death knell came as 63,000 fans inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and millions watching worldwide, struggled to understand what formation the team was even playing.

Pedro Porro was shunted endlessly up and down the right, Souza was moved from left-back to the right and then back again, and Micky van de Ven was hauled off ignominiously at half-time in a must-win game.

Last week, for the first time in my adult life, our fans mobilised behind a common cause.

They lined the streets, united in hope that they could force change.

But Spurs proved too heavy a weight for both the supporters and the Croatian manager to shift.

The brief for Tudor was simple: win three games, secure safety and depart as a hero.

Five games on, Spurs look further from those three victories than ever.

We have lost confidence in our back-up goalkeeper, stumbled at every sign of progress through erratic team selections, and even become a side incapable of dealing with a simple set-piece.

Once again, we turn to the boardroom for answers - the men and women paid vast sums to safeguard this club.

Can they be trusted to make the most important decision in its modern history? I have very little faith left in their judgement.

Our survival now seems to depend less on our own efforts and more on others stumbling toward relegation - and on Richarlison bundling in five or six decisive goals.

Find more from Bardi at The Extra Inch - a Spurs podcast, external

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Tottenham Hotspur supporter Emma Nottage, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast on another managerial change at Spurs: "I don't think Igor Tudor was right for us from the get-go.

"He'd never managed in the Premier League - it's a tough gig anyway and you need someone with Premier League experience.

"The hierarchy has got to take some of the blame. It's been coming for a while - it's gone back to when Mauricio Pochettino was talking about this beautiful house. We need the investment and we don't seem to get that.

"Fair play to Igor for coming in and trying, but it just wasn't the right gig for him. His father has passed away and we send our condolences to him. Moving forward, I hope he gets another job somewhere when the time's right."

On who should be appointed next: "They need a boost and I would maybe call Harry [Redknapp] - I really do think Harry needs to be the man.

"But I also think maybe Pochettino should just come home and we should go and get him now, because then he's got these seven games.

"I know it's the World Cup in the summer but I think to unite the fans and the club, we need to bring him back to finish the job he started all those years ago.

"He's the man and that's who we're all crying out for."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Igor Tudor's departure after only 44 days concludes a bizarre and potentially hugely expensive episode that leaves fingers pointing firmly in the direction of chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange.

If Venkatesham and Lange get the next big decision wrong it could conceivably end with Spurs in the Championship, leaving a scar on their record that would be impossible to recover from.

Venkatesham and Lange will know the stakes, with Tottenham one point and one place above the relegation spots.

There must be a measure of sympathy for Tudor, who also had to deal with the death of his father after being parachuted into a role he was clearly unsuited for, while taking over a squad ravaged by injuries and a complete loss of confidence.

Sympathy will be in shorter supply for Venkatesham and Lange as Spurs search for a third coach this season.

Read more analysis from McNulty here

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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."

Listen to the full episode of Football Daily on BBC Sounds

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Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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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.

Who do you want Spurs to appoint? Make your choice in our poll here

And get in touch with your views on De Zerbi and the other potential candidates here

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.

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

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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.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane, external and on Instagram, external

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.

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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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.

We asked for your views on Igor Tudor leaving Tottenham after just 44 days in charge.

Here are some of your comments:

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.

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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).

Igor Tudor lost his first four matches as Tottenham boss, including against Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace in the league before a calamitous 5-2 Champions League last 16 first-leg defeat at Atletico Madrid.

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.

They then face Brighton (home), Wolves (away), Aston Villa (away), Leeds (home), Chelsea (away) and Everton (home) as they seek to secure their Premier League status.

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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?

Get in touch with your views here

Sunderland could face a battle to keep on-loan RB Leipzig utility player Lutsharel Geertruida at the club next term, with Tottenham, Everton, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace all interested in the 25-year-old Netherlands international. (Teamtalk), external

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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.

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?

Get in touch with your views here

Rangers could bank a record fee for Emmanuel Fernandez this summer with the 24-year-old attracting interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, West Ham United, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. (TeamTalk), external

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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

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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."