Tottenham are set to sack Igor Tudor after just four matches, with the club already lining up a replacement despite the Croatian coach spending less than a month in charge. The shocking news has shook the Premier League, coinciding with Spurs’ deep relegation zone and a challenging schedule, which includes this weekend’s trip to Liverpool.
Igor Tudor took over in late February with high expectations of stabilising the team. He inherited a low side on confidence after a string of poor results, and things have not improved. In his short time at the helm, Spurs have picked up just one point and look more fragile than ever.
Tudor himself admitted the problems run deeper than he expected when he first walked through the door. “The problems are bigger than I thought when I came here,” he told reporters this week.
He spoke plainly about the squad’s struggles to put together a reliable starting eleven. “We have a lot of problems to make a first eleven,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of a manager already fighting fires on multiple fronts.
Injuries have piled up at the worst possible moment. Tudor confirmed that Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha will both miss the Liverpool clash, joining Micky van de Ven and Yves Bissouma on the sidelines. Conor Gallagher is nursing a fever but should still travel with the squad.
The absences leave gaps across defence and midfield that Tudor has struggled to fill. He tried to rally the players with a direct message after the latest defeat.
“You can cry or you can fight,” he said. “You can be the victim, or you can say, ‘I can change something, and this is the message I want to start with and what I communicate with the players.'”
He added that everyone has opinions these days, but the bottle is half-empty right now. “Here, there is nothing full; there are a lot of empty things, but difficult moments don’t last,” Tudor insisted, trying to lift spirits even as the pressure mounts.
Behind the scenes, the club has already moved on. Sources close to the board say a decision to part ways with Tudor was made after the most recent loss, and they have quietly activated talks with a replacement. Sean Dyche has emerged as a leading candidate.
The former Everton and Burnley boss is seen by many as one of the few true survival specialists left in the game. He knows how to grind out results when a team sits near the bottom, and his no-nonsense style appeals to parts of the Tottenham hierarchy looking for quick stability.
But Dyche is said to be reluctant about taking a short-term role. He prefers longer projects where he can build something lasting, and friends close to him say he is weighing whether Spurs can offer more than a few months of firefighting.
The timing feels especially harsh for Tudor. He arrived with fresh ideas and tried to inject belief into a dressing room that had lost its way under previous management. Players spoke privately about liking his intensity in training, yet results on the pitch have not followed.
Fans have mixed feelings too. Some understand the board’s impatience given how close the team sits to the drop zone, while others argue four games is hardly enough time for any manager to turn things around. Social media has lit up with debates, memes of Tudor’s fiery press conferences mixing with calls for patience or outright change.
Tottenham’s season has been a rollercoaster from the start. High expectations after big summer spending have given way to defensive lapses, missed chances, and a growing injury list that shows no sign of easing.
The Liverpool match this weekend now feels like a must-not-lose game, even with so many key men out. Tudor will have to shuffle the pack again and hope the remaining squad can find some fight. His message about not playing the victim might be the only positive note heading into Anfield.
For the club, the next few days will be critical. If they pull the trigger on Tudor, it will be one of the quickest sackings in recent Premier League history.
The search for a replacement will need to happen fast, with Dyche or another experienced hand stepping in before the next round of matches. Supporters are already bracing for more upheaval, knowing that another poor result could drag them deeper into trouble.
In the end, Tudor’s short spell at Tottenham will be remembered for its honesty more than for its success. He spoke openly about the scale of the problems and urged his players to face them head-on.
Whether that message lands with the next man in charge remains to be seen. For now, the focus shifts to Liverpool and the very real chance that Spurs could be looking for their third manager of the season before Easter.
