Tuesday saw Tottenham Hotspur sack manager Thomas Frank, who held the gig for just eight months. A new boss will be found in the summer (here’s a link to a list of seven potential candidates), but in the meantime, the club needs an interim manager. According to widespread reports, this caretaker boss will be Igor Tudor, a Croatian international whose primary job will be ensuring the club stays up in the top flight for next season.
The North London side are currently in the final safety slot (16th place), but only five points above West Ham United, who are in the relegation zone.
Spurs are off this weekend, as they were immediately eliminated, upon entry into the FA Cup. So Tudor will take charge of Spurs this week, with his first game as interim boss coming in the North London Derby versus Arsenal, a week from Sunday.
At this point, the Tudor deal is just agreed in principle, but not completely finalized.
According to Sky Sports: “There is a verbal agreement for Tudor to take over until the end of the season and only the final contractual details need to be sorted. He will fly back to his homeland from London before starting work.”
So is a “Tudor dynasty” (sorry, that pun was just too easy to pass up) in the works?
Well, he’s manager ten different clubs, across five different countries, so he’s well traveled, and very experienced. His most recent gig was Juventus, which is by far the biggest club on his CV. However, it didn’t go well at the traditional Serie A powerhouse.
Tudor took over last March, but after winning only 41.7% of the matches at the Old Lady, Juve let him go in October.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.