Italian media make brutal point on Tottenham boss Igor Tudor as clear verdict given

Igor Tudor has been announced as Thomas Frank’s successor at Tottenham Hotspur, taking up tenure on an interim basis until the season’s end – and the Italian media have given their verdict

Igor Tudor has been labelled as a “substitute teacher” by Italian media as he settles into an interim head coaching role with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Croatian, who last held tenure with Juventus between March and October 2025, has been brought in by the Lilywhites as a short-term successor to Thomas Frank. The Dane was sacked by Spurs on Wednesday morning following a turmoil-filled eight months, leaving the club without a win in their last eight Premier League outings and languishing in 16th in the standings.

Speaking about the next stage of his career, Tudor 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.”

And while many fans will be excited by Tudor’s appointment, considering he has proven himself in the past with not only the Old Lady, but also Lazio, Galatasaray and PAOK, Gazetta believe that the club may not be looking at him as a long-term solution.

A report from the publication dubbed Tudor as “the perfect substitute teacher who never managed to find the right job to become a professor,” given his track record of spending just months with teams before moving on elsewhere. Elsewhere, Football Italia claim that Tudor has a “history of arguments and controversies” which have hindered him from enjoying longer stints with clubs.

For context, Tudor spent less than a year with PAOK between 2015 and 2016 before the club released a scathing assessment of him when announcing his departure. A statement from the Greece-based side read: “PAOK FC announces the sacking of Igor Tudor, due to unsuccessful results and disparaging comments about the quality of the team.”

He has also held 14 coaching jobs but has only ever spent two calendar years in a job on one occasion – at Hajduk Split between 2013 and 2015.

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Elsewhere, several outbursts in press conferences during his recent spell with Juventus proved particularly problematic. If Tudor did have any long-term aspirations at the club, the way he went about his business was certainly seen as questionable. However, according to Italian football journalist Daniele Verri, Damien Commoli’s arrival as general manager of the club may have been the catalyst in Tudor’s exit.

Verri told BBC Sport: “Commoli and Tudor never really got on. Tudor wanted more say during the transfer market, he wanted [Randal] Kolo Muani to stay and that didn’t happen. He kept changing the starting XI and that brought uncertainty.

“Tension grew. Tudor criticised what Juventus did in the market during press conferences, and openly criticised the players after the Lazio defeat before he was sacked. After a relatively good start, he lost control of the team and they stopped performing.

“The fans were obviously not happy, they are used to winning. Juventus never really had the impression they could take the next step with Tudor.”

The reporter also claims that Spurs fans can expect aggressive pressing and wing play in abundance from the 47-year-old, while Gianluca di Marzio explain that Tudor has never disappointed when called upon midway through a season to turn the tide. Tudor will oversee his first game in charge in next Sunday’s North London Derby, battling a high-flying Arsenal side.

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