Igor

Tudor has been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in October 2025 and is set for his first spell in England, after previously taking charge of clubs in Italy, France, Turkey, Croatia and Greece.

He is tasked, first and foremost, with easing Tottenham‘s relegation fears, after a 2-1 loss to Newcastle in Thomas Frank’s final match on Tuesday left them five points above the bottom three.

Having earned a reputation as a no-nonsense defender during a playing career in which he won 55 caps for Croatia and made more than 150 appearances for Italian giants Juventus, there is one certain non-negotiable for Tudor as a manager.

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

“In his one season in Marseille it was always the same way of playing – 3-5-2 – and it was great to watch.

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

“It was a joke in L’Equipe – if Igor Tudor had Lionel Messi in his squad, Messi would not play!”

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

“He did pretty well in Ligue 1. What I liked is that he doesn’t try to be liked. He is very direct, says what he thinks and doesn’t try to be attractive. There is no seduction,” says Minonzio.

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

Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa): He was the best player on the pitch by a country mile. He’s slowly become Villa’s most important player. He dictates the play, breaks it up, and does everything right. Very, very good player and that pains me to say as a Birmingham City fan.

Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest): Lost him during Afcon and it wasn’t the same midfield. He is a pitbull next to Elliot Anderson; he does all of the ugly stuff and breaks it up. A fantastic footballer and part of a solid defensive unit, which obviously Forest needed.

Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa): Scored unbelievable goals, all vital for their team’s attacking outlet. Buendia, for me, just showed that little bit of class and magic. I love to see players taking a risk.

Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United): Dorgu could never play a game like that in his life. He’s been unbelievable since Michael Carrick came in. That goal in the win at Arsenal was unbelievable and worthy of winning any football match in the world.

Estevao Willian (Chelsea): Young, exciting player and got a goal and assist, but it was against Crystal Palace, so he doesn’t get as much chat as the others.