It seems being a Spurs manager is as cursed as being the Formula 1 Red Bull second driver to Max Verstappen (if you know, you know). Thomas Frank, the Danish former head coach of Spurs, didn’t even last eight months before being given the boot after an awful streak of winless matches, with the eight being the final straw.
Now sitting 16th in the league and under the new leadership of Igor Tudor, a Croatian manager known for his “firefighter” managerial style, will this be the turning point, or are Spurs stuck in short-term hires? Read on to find out.
Igor Tudor: Tottenham Hotspur’s Newly Appointed Head Coach
You could say it all went downhill since the controversial sacking of Ange Postecoglou, one that Daniel Levy probably still regrets despite his own sacking, and now it’s time for Igor Tudor to face the Spurs manager curse.
The issue is that he’s coming into the club at their worst, but what might go in Spurs’ favour is that Tudor has a reputation for taking over clubs mid-season to stabilise performances, with some of his standout results being guiding Marseille to 3rd in Ligue 1 before moving to Lazio and only losing two of his 11 games at the helm. He also kept Udinese in Serie A free from relegation twice when the club was clearly in a crisis.
Would you say Spurs are in a crisis? It’s not exactly a relegation-level crisis, but it isn’t good, either.
At least with Tudor, he has a reputation for saving clubs, and at teams where he managed 10 matches or more, he has always won at least four of them.
Spurs need a little more than that, so let’s see what he can do.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Recent Performances
Look away if you’re a Spurs fan.
It definitely hasn’t been good, and we’re sitting on eight consecutive games without a win. Not all losses, some draws, but no victories. The Premier League betting odds have Spurs as one of the contenders for relegation, but it’s generally expected there will only be one spot up for grabs as Burnley look set to join Wolves, with West Ham and Forest battling to avoid that final spot. Spurs shouldn’t be so bad, and neither West Ham nor Forest that good for their fortunes to be switched.
That being said, the last time Tottenham won a game was at the end of December with a 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace away. Coincidentally, they’re due to play Palace again next week at home, so let’s see what happens under the new management.
Since then, it has been awkward performance after awkward performance, with losses against West Ham and draws against clubs like Burnley, a relegation risk team, proving that something needs to change.
Are Spurs Stuck in Short-Term Hires Now?
Well, yes, because Igor Tudor is set to only stay until the summer and fulfill his reputation of turning clubs around. It’s rumoured that Pochettino (former Tottenham Hotspur manager from 2014 to 2019) and De Zerbi (currently at Ligue 1 side Marseille) are the top contenders for the summer 2026 appointment.
It would be cool to see Pochettino back in charge. He had a long stint at White Hart Lane, helping the club finish league runners-up in the 2016–17 season, and took the club to their first Champions League final. That said, he did leave the club in 2019 after a string of poor results, but he had a good run.
As for whether Spurs are stuck in short-term hires, we hope not. It goes against the club’s strategy of emphasising long-term success and growth, and that’s not really possible when you’re swapping and changing head coaches. But if you look at the history, with Frank and Postecoglou both leaving before their contract ended, it’s not looking good.
The Spurs’ hierarchy wanted sustainable success with Frank, but they definitely didn’t get it. And now it seems like they could go down a path of short-term hires, which definitely won’t create the stability the club and fans are looking for. Let’s see what happens.
