Igor Tudor is certainly not a manager for long-term projects, which should make him well-suited to the role of interim head coach at Tottenham Hotspur. If the Croatian is in north London for a good time rather than a long time, then so be it. That, it seems, is what he is used to.
The 47-year-old’s role at Spurs will be his 12th managerial position in 13 years on the touchline. The former defender has managed all over Europe, taking jobs in Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Italy and France, but only once has he lasted more than a year in a role.
Over the course of his entire managerial career, Tudor has averaged just 261 days and 30 matches at his clubs. His most recent position was at Juventus, a team he represented to great effect as a player, and he was sacked in October after only seven months in charge, following an eight-match winless run.
Tudor’s struggles at one of the giants of European football may be a concern for the Spurs fans, but the good news is that he has regularly shown he is capable of making a quick impact at his clubs. With Spurs working towards appointing a permanent successor to Thomas Frank at the end of the campaign, a quick impact is perhaps all they need from Tudor.
Some examples of Tudor’s ability to achieve instant results following his appointment: he won three of his first five matches at both Juventus and Lazio in recent seasons, and also won five of his first six games at Marseille.
His spell at Marseille, a notoriously emotional and erratic institution of French football, should have prepared him well for the challenges that await at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He is walking into an unhappy club, with players who have clashed with the fans and a disgruntled captain who has repeatedly sniped at his own board.
Tudor survived a similar level of disharmony in France, where he was booed in his first competitive match as Marseille’s head coach (the Marseille supporters were unimpressed that he was the man to replace the much-loved Jorge Sampaoli). Tudor chose to leave Marseille after one season, despite the club wanting him to stay.