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Igor Tudor leaves Tottenham after 44 days with club mired in relegation trouble
29th March, 2026 06:46 PM
Tottenham have parted company with Igor Tudor after seven games and 44 days in a desperate attempt to halt their slide towards relegation from the Premier League.
According to the club, the decision was mutually agreed. Tudor took one point from his five league matches to leave Tottenham one above the bottom three, the final straw coming in Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest. A previously unthinkable demotion to the Championship would be devastating for prestige and revenues.
The situation has been coloured by human tragedy, with Tudor told after the Forest game of the death of his father, Mario. The club wanted to show as much sensitivity towards Tudor as possible. His other two matches were in the Champions League last 16 against Atlético Madrid, his team going out 7-5 on aggregate. They lost the first leg 5-2 before winning the return 3-2.
Mutual agreement
“We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect,” read a Spurs statement. “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.”
Spurs said Tudor had a “straightforward” mandate when they appointed him on 14 February until the end of the season in the wake of Thomas Frank’s sacking – to “bring organisation, intensity and competitive edge to the squad at a decisive stage of the campaign.” The Valentine’s Day move has ended in sadness.
Tudor’s tenure began with league defeats by Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace before the first-leg reverse against Atlético, when they were 4-0 down after 22 minutes. He was slated for substituting Antonin Kinsky after 17 minutes at 3-0; the goalkeeper was at fault for two of the concessions.
There were signs of hope when Tudor’s team drew 1-1 at Liverpool and played well in the second leg against Atlético, albeit with the tie essentially beyond them. Everything came tumbling back down against Forest.
Spurs have gone 13 league games without a win – the club’s worst run since 1934-35, when they were relegated from the old Division One and Arsenal were champions.
Relegation fears
The nightmare scenario for the Spurs supporters is that history repeats itself. Arsenal are nine points clear at the top. Spurs were last relegated from the top division in 1976-77.
Tudor was given the job at Spurs because he has a reputation for making quick, positive impacts, most recently at Juventus. But try as he did, and he rolled the dice on various approaches – he could get nothing to work.
