Igor Tudor, whose birth coincides with the year Tottenham last ascended from the second division, now shoulders the responsibility of ensuring their Premier League survival nearly half a century later.

Tottenham Hotspur has finalized a short-term agreement with Tudor to serve as interim head coach until the season concludes. He is expected to assume his new role by Monday, coinciding with the players’ return to training following the dismissal of Thomas Frank.

Should Tudor impress during his interim tenure, the former Croatian international and ex-Juventus manager could potentially secure a permanent position. However, if his leadership falls short, further managerial changes could be on the horizon for the North London club.

Tudor’s recent managerial stint was with Juventus, where he faced a challenging period. Under the previous coach Thiago Motta, the team had dropped to fifth place following consecutive defeats to Atalanta and Fiorentina in March of the previous year.

With the capable Randal Kolo Muani leading the attack, Tudor managed to stabilize Juventus, suffering only one loss in the final nine matches of the Serie A season. This turnaround secured a fourth-place finish and earned him a contract extension until 2027. He also led Juventus to the Club World Cup, where they were eventually ousted by Real Madrid in the last 16. During Tudor’s brief tenure, Kolo Muani, who had been struggling with a goal drought, found the net five times in 11 matches.

Spurs have struck a deal for Igor Tudor to take over as interim head coach until the end of this season and expect him in position by Monday

With his Juventus players in the Oval Office last June as part of their participation in the Club World Cup

Randal Kolo Muani, who is now under his tutelage again at Tottenham, spearheaded Tudor’s Juventus attack last season

Despite this initial success, Tudor’s fortunes at Juventus quickly declined. By October, after an eight-game winless streak left the team languishing in eighth place, he was dismissed, making way for Luciano Spalletti to take over.

For many Italians, his style lacked tactical refinement, but he was admired as a strong leader with an imposing presence, capable of commanding respect in the dressing room.

He likes his teams to play physical and energetic football. He usually adopts an aggressive high press and locks in for one-v-one duels across all areas of the pitch. It is a philosophy which should go down well with those who thought Frank’s football was cautious and boring.

One Italian source likens it to Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund. While it did ultimately prove too wild and chaotic for Juventus, it had been well received during a thrilling year at Marseille.

‘I want courageous and intensive football,’ said Tudor upon his appointment at the Stade Velodrome in 2022. ‘Not solely based on the defence. I want people who come to the stadium to be entertained and not disappointed.’

Antonio Conte’s Spurs beat Marseille home and away in the Champions League group stage in that season. Tudor’s team came bottom of the group but fared better in domestic competition. They made a terrific start and knocked Paris Saint-Germain out of the French Cup before trailing off to finish third in the league behind PSG and Lens.

Tudor did not stick around, though. He left citing ‘personal reasons’ and, such was his appetite for disagreement, felt the need to add that he was ‘not angry with anyone’.

He reappeared in Italy, replacing Maurizio Sarri at Lazio in March 2024. They were ninth when he took over. He had six games in charge, winning his first, the second leg of a cup tie against Juventus which was not enough to prevent elimination and five games unbeaten in Serie A, winning two. Lazio improved to finish seventh and again he chose to move on.

Tudor played 174 times as a commanding centre back for Juventus, having joined from boyhood club Hajduk Split

It quickly unravelled for Tudor in the dugout this season, and he was sacked in October with Juventus down in eighth after eight games without a win

Tudor has a long association with Italian football. His playing career started and ended at hometown club Hajduk Split and peaked at Juventus under Marcelo Lippi. He was a centre half capable enough on the ball to be used at times in midfield.

He won two Italian titles and started in the 2003 Champions League final, a goalless draw at Old Trafford when Juventus lost on penalties to AC Milan. For Croatia, he won 55 senior caps and scored three goals, including one against England in Euro 2004 when he played in midfield and Wayne Rooney ran the show in a 4-2 win for the Golden Generation.

Injuries forced him to retire at 30 and he returned to Hajduk to launch his restless coaching career.

Tudor has never stayed anywhere longer than two years. Since leaving his first job at Split he spent nine months at PAOK in Greece and moved to Turkey where he spent eight months at Karabukspor and 10 months at Galatasaray.

There was a month at Udinese and he saved them from relegation but opted not to stay but returned a year later and lasted eight months before he was sacked.

A second spell at Hajduk lasted eight months before he quit for a season as assistant to Andrea Pirlo at Juventus and then a year at Verona and onto Marseille.

Tudor’s brief at Spurs will be to avoid relegation. There is no extension clause written into the deal. It will be purely on an interim basis until the end of the season.

If he wants to keep the job, it will help to go deep in the Champions League as well, which might involve another encounter with Juventus, one of the four possible opponents for Spurs in the last 16 next month.

If he wants to keep the job, it will help to go deep in the Champions League as well, which might involve another encounter with Juventus

Tudor scored three times in 55 Croatia caps, including against England at Euro 2004 in a game his side lost 4-2 thanks to a Wayne Rooney masterclass

Three wins from a dozen Premier League games should be enough to avoid the ignominy of relegation for the first time since 1977

But a key part of Tudor’s appeal for Spurs will be for him to work effectively in a short time frame.

Three wins from a dozen Premier League games should be enough to avoid the ignominy of relegation for the first time since 1977.

But the squad is decimated by injuries and his first test could not be sterner – at home against rivals Arsenal on Sunday week.

If he can damage their title hopes in his very first game though, stabilise the club and put them in a position for an emotional reunion with Mauricio Pochettino after the World Cup, it should be enough to crown Tudor with cult hero status on the blue-and-white side of north London’s great divide.