Igor Tudor: What will the new Tottenham coach bring to the club?

Tudor has been unemployed since his dismissal by Juventus in October 2025 and is scheduled to spend his first spell in England, having previously taken charge of coaching clubs in Italy, France, Turkey, Croatia and Greece.

He was tasked, first and foremost, with alleviating Spurs’ relegation fears, after a 2-1 loss to Newcastle in Thomas Frank’s final game on Tuesday left them five points above the bottom three.

Having earned a reputation as a no-nonsense defender during a playing career that saw him earn 55 caps for Croatia and make over 150 appearances for Italian giants Juventus, one thing is certain and non-negotiable for Tudor as manager.

“He asks his players to run a lot,” says L’Equipe journalist Pierre-Etienne Menunzio. In a previous interview he said: If you don’t run, you don’t play.

“In his only season at Marseille, it was always the same system of play – 3-5-2 – and it was great to watch.

“It wasn’t easy because Marseille’s best player was Dimitri Payet, a very talented player but not known for running, and he didn’t play.

“It was a joke in L’Equipe, if Igor Tudor had Lionel Messi in his team, Messi wouldn’t play!”

Théodore’s only season in France saw Marseille finish third behind Paris Saint-Germain and Lens, despite surpassing the club’s points total from the previous season when they finished second.

“He performed well in the French league,” says Menunzio. “What I liked is that he is not trying to be likable. He is very direct, he says what he thinks and does not try to be attractive. There is no flattery.”

“It’s the same for the players. He keeps his distance and his obsession is to make training intense with a lot of running so that they can get fit for the game.”