Igor Tudor has officially started his time as the interim head coach at Tottenham Hotspur, which has been his first training session in the club at its base in Enfield on Monday afternoon. The Croatian manager has been handed the tough order of salvaging Spurs out of their poorest crisis in years of the Premier League with the north London club stooping at the 16 th position, only five points above the relegation strategy.
Tudor moved to London over the weekend after being appointed on February 14, 2026 and did not hesitate to start working. The 46-year-old assumed control of his first session at the Hotspur Way training complex on Monday, February 16, after the players had taken a brief break after being given their work permits.
New Era Begins at Hotspur Way
Tottenham official media published photos of Tudor at the training field the first time where he was supervision of exercises with the team. The former Juventus and Lazio manager has recently been appointed on a temporary basis until the conclusion of the 2025/26 season to replace Thomas Frank, who was terminated after losing to Newcastle United 2-1 at home.
Frank left following a miserable winless streak in the Premier League which was going back to the turn of the year. The last victory of Tottenham in top of the league was also achieved at Selhurst Park whereby they won 1-0 against Crystal Palace. This desperate shape has put Spurs at threats of being relegated after several decades.]
Complete Backroom Overhaul
Tudor has not lost time in instituting the changes and has employed his own coaching personnel in order to facilitate the turnaround agenda. The new arrivals include:
- Ivan Javorcic -Assistant coach
- Riccardo Ragnacci -Physical coach.
- Tomislav Rogic – Goalkeeping coach (pending work permit)
The appointments have led to a number of exits in the backroom team of Frank. Part of the restructuring has seen Justin Cochrane and John Heitinga leave the club, who had joined the club just a month before.
Baptism of Fire Awaits
Tudor has a direct challenge of his qualifications and his debut match under his command is the north London derby against Arsenal on February 22. His six days of tenure leaves him with a very limited time to put his ideas into action and bring the squad to one of the most fierce English football matches.
The Croatian is identified by his highly dynamic and intense coaching style and has even shown an aptitude in turning around teams in crisis within the context of short-term appointments. His short time in the best clubs in Europe including Juventus where he had served seven months before he left in October last year will play a key role as he tries to stabilize Tottenham.
Primary Mission: Survival
As Spurs are dangerously near the bottom three, the main goal of Tudor is obvious, as it is to avoid relegation. The current situation of the club is one of the most difficult in the recent history and the interim head coach will have to add the sense of order, intensity and competitiveness to the current squad that has lost its way.
Tudor has an advantage of working with his players on a clear weekend since Tottenham has an early exit in the FA Cup and thus has no congestions of fixtures. This would be good training time before the Arsenal match and the new manager will have time to evaluate his team and start playing his tactical philosophy.
What Tudor Brings
The Croatian manager comes with a reputation of being overly demanding and introducing disciplined systems that are well organized. His coaching ethos is physical intensity and tactical organization, which Tottenham has obviously not been known to have in their recent turmoil.
After the first training, Tudor fulfilled his first media obligation, showing his pride to be a part of the club and noting his commitment to add the required attributes to turn the fortunes of the club around.
The fact that he played in the Juventus and Lazio clubs of the first caliber indicates that he will be able to cope with pressure situations and a high profile setting.
Looking Ahead
Both Tudor and Tottenham will need the next few weeks. The interim head coach has to assert his power fast and raise the performance, which is quite impossible because the relegation zone is very near and the team has a low confidence level.
North London derby will be a chance to take an immediate statement, but Tudor will be practical regarding what to expect in the future.
The Tottenham fans will be wishing that the new signing by Tudor will be the start of the turnaround and that the Croatian has the right gadgets to guide the club to safety in the Premier League amidst the turbulence.
