He came, he called his players rubbish, he didn't win any league games, and he left. Just 43 days after arriving in North London, it was confirmed on Sunday that Igor Tudor had departed Tottenham Hotspur "by mutual consent". His final game in charge was that disastrous 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest, after which Tudor departed the scene very quickly, following the very sad news about the death of his father.
Once the dust had settled a week later, it was confirmed that the Croatian would not longer be Spurs manager. He thereby becomes only the fifth manager in Premier League history to last 50 days or fewer in a post:
Premier League managers: tenure of 50 days or fewer
Manager | Club | Matches | Wins | Days in charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cristian Stellini | Tottenham | 4 | 1 | 29 |
Sam Allardyce | Leeds United | 4 | 0 | 30 |
Ange Postecoglou | Nottingham Forest | 8 | 0 | 39 |
Les Reed | Charlton | 8 | 1 | 40 |
Igor Tudor | Tottenham | 7 | 1 | 43 |
Amazingly, three of the top five have Tottenham connections. After Antonio Conte departed in 2023, his assistant Cristian Stellini lasted just 29 days as his successor before also being dismissed and replaced by Ryan Mason. Then, earlier this season, beloved figure at Spurs Ange Postecoglou failed to win any of his eight matches in charge of Nottingham Forest, so was sacked after only 39 days.
In Tudor's case, his solitary victory came during the second leg of a Champions League tie against Atlético Madrid, very much in vain having been battered in the Spanish capital. In the Premier League, the only point Spurs picked up under Tudor came at Anfield courtesy of Richarlison's last-gasp equaliser, suffering defeats at the hands of Arsenal, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Forest.
Thus, Tudor joins a very select group of managers to oversee multiple Premier League games without winning one.
Coaches to manager 4+ Premier League games with zero wins
Manager | Club | Year | PL matches | PL points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Terry Connor | Wolves | 2012 | 13 | 4 |
Eric Black | Birmingham, Sunderland & Aston Villa | '07/'11/'16 | 9 | 1 |
Simon Rusk | Southampton | 2024/25 | 8 | 3 |
Jimmy Gabriel | Everton | 1993/94 | 7 | 1 |
Igor Tudor | Tottenham | 2026 | 5 | 1 |
Neil Adams | Norwich City | 2014 | 5 | 1 |
Frank de Boer | Crystal Palace | 2017 | 4 | 0 |
Note: All statistics courtesy of Statmuse.
Very few managers have overseen four or more Premier League games without enjoying a victory, with Tudor adding his name to this very select list. Terry Connor's record of 13 will surely never be surpassed, taking the reigns from Mick McCarthy in February 2012 with Wolves very much on course for relegation.
Most remarkably though is poor Eric Black's tally of nine games, given that they've come in charge of Birmingham City, Sunderland and Aston Villa, collecting just a solitary point, taking the Villans down a decade ago. Of the clubs on this list, Wolves, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Southampton and Norwich were all on their way to relegation, so will a similar fate be bestowed upon Tottenham?
Well, the latest reporting is that CEO Vinai Venkatesham and Sporting Director Johan Lange have increased their efforts to appoint Roberto De Zerbi right now, rather than at the end of the season, when the Italian was hoping to open talks. Will the former Brighton and Marseille manager be able to save Spurs from the drop? Well, if he doesn't he could join the list of shortest-serving Premier League managers, alongside his predecessor.