Igor Tudor future: Tottenham Hotspur chief on the "best" candidate to take over from Thomas Frank amid relegation threat

Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Johan Lange has revealed that Igor Tudor could be appointed permanently if results and performances impress.

Spurs will take on fierce rivals Arsenal on Sunday, and interim boss Tudor will be looking for his first win in charge.

The Croatian was appointed on a temporary basis following the dismissal of Thomas Frank, who was sacked on February 11th and departed with the team 16th in the Premier League.

Few supporters expect the interim head coach to land the full-time job, especially after he disappointed at Juventus and was sacked in October 2025.

However, Spurs sporting director Lange revealed that the club would be open to appointing Tudor on a permanent basis, telling reporters: "Of course if things go well, he could be here for a long time. We interviewed a few [interim] candidates and Igor impressed us very, very much in the interview.

"If you come in here on the Monday and you are playing at the weekend, you need to build relationships with the players immediately. You need to come in to build relationships but of course assess the style of the club immediately.

"He has shown that with great success, not only once but a few times, to come into that. That is one of the reasons why we believe he is the best candidate here now, but of course also with his reputation and what he's done in his career."

Tudor will have 12 Premier League games and at least two Champions League games to make the case that he should be given the Spurs job permanently.

What does Igor Tudor need to do to be appointed?

Tottenham and Arsenal could hardly be further apart in the Premier League, with the first-placed Gunners' points tally of 58 double that of Spurs.

A win in the North London derby would no doubt make Tudor a popular figure amongst the Tottenham fanbase, especially as it could derail Arsenal's title ambitions, but victory on Sunday should not sway those in positions of power at the club.

Spurs are only five points above 18th-placed West Ham United, and the Hammers are set to face Bournemouth on Saturday.

Tottenham's squad is far too talented to be battling relegation for a second consecutive season, so the bare minimum that Tudor must achieve in order to be considered for the permanent job is to comfortably avoid demotion.

Should Spurs be worried about Tudor's managerial history?

While the environment at Juventus has been chaotic for some time, Tudor's history as a manager is not particularly inspiring.

The 47-year-old left Hellas Verona in May 2022 by mutual consent, left Marseille at the end of 2022-23 due to an apparent burnout, resigned as Lazio boss after the 2023-24 campaign and was sacked by Juve in October 2025.

Considering Tottenham are in desperate need of stability, it remains to be seen if Tudor can provide that given he does not have a history of building strong foundations at the teams he has managed..