Shortest reign in Premier League history? Igor Tudor faces Tottenham sack after latest loss

Hired on February 14th 

It’s not often that Tottenham fans are left speechless, but they were left unable to articulate what they witnessed on Thursday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The collective anger, frustration and desperation following their 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, leaving them without a victory in 2026, quickly turned to bewilderment as many reflected on the dire situation in which they find themselves. Boos rang out at the final whistle, yet the absence of noise inside the ground shortly after the final whistle spoke louder. The resignation and anguish on the supporters’ faces reflected the grim reality they are facing: Spurs really could go down under Igor Tudor.

Dominic Solanke’s goal got the hosts off to the perfect start before Micky van de Ven’s red card triggered another self-implosion, with three goals in seven minutes from Ismaïla Sarr, Jørgen Strand Larsen and Sarr again inflicting the damage. The hosts produced a minor improvement after the break but with a man down, they couldn’t breach the Palace defence again. Relegation from the Premier League is looming large, and head coach Igor Tudor’s reign already looks to be heading towards an abrupt, premature conclusion.

Shortest managerial reign in history?

Tudor is only 20 days into the job, and if he is sacked before March 15, his managerial reign would go down as the shortest in Premier League history. The current record for the briefest permanent manager spell in charge was Sam Allardyce, who lasted just 30 days with Leeds before parting ways without a victory to his name. Ange Postecoglou’s ill-fated spell with Nottingham Forest earlier this term didn’t last much longer as he was dismissed after just 39 days in the post, with Les Reed at Charlton Athletic a day later.

The Croatian was hired on February 14, Valentine’s Day, but there has been little love from the fanbase regarding his appointment. With no prior experience of managing in English football, the ex-Juventus and Lazio head coach has failed to win any of his three games in charge thus far – coincidentally, those three games have come against Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace, their fellow opposition from the capital.

Should he be dismissed with a win to his name, the 47-year-old would join an exclusive club of managers to fail to win a single game during the time at the club. Paul Jewell holds the ignominy of going 24 games without a single victory at Derby County in 2007/08, with Terry Connor next on the list following his disastrous spell as Wolves boss in 2011/12.

Consistently poor in the Premier League

Out of the 17 current Premier League clubs to be present in the top flight since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, only Wolves have taken fewer points (57) than Spurs. The North London outfit have taken 67 from as many games, a paltry amount in truth considering the money spent in the transfer market. For context, Arsenal have more than double with 141 points, Chelsea and Aston Villa have racked up 117, and even relegation-threatened West Ham have 71. There might have been a time when one of Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte were chastised for struggling to get 67 points in a single season, let alone two.

Trouble has been brewing for some time at Tottenham, and it even began before their dismal form under his predecessor Thomas Frank. Under Postecoglou last season, Spurs lost 22 out of their 38 league matches and finished 17th, but comfortably survived the drop. The Australian has since remarked that the coaching staff’s efforts were focused purely on the Europa League, and that turned out to be the right decision as they ended the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy.

But the damage sustained in the Premier League has been long-lasting – no one fears Spurs anymore. The days of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son tearing apart opposition defences feel like a distant memory. Now, Spurs’ toothless attack contains the underwhelming trio of Solanke, Xavi Simons and Mathys Tel. The quality on offer compared to previous teams is questionable to say the least.

Yet Tudor hasn’t helped himself. In a must-win game against Palace and still coping with an injury crisis, he chose to drop Simons and Conor Gallagher to the bench, while choosing Solanke ahead of their top goalscorer Richarlison. Solanke did score, but faded once they went down to 10 men. Simons, Gallagher and Richarlison all made an impact from the bench, which may have left some fans asking why they didn’t start in the first place.

Pochettino, De Zerbi on shortlist

With their present 11-game winless run their worst in the Premier League era, Spurs must soon decide whether to stick to their guns with Tudor’s hardline approach or hire a relegation survival expert to lift them out of this mess. Some suggestions have ranged from club icon Glenn Hoddle, ex-boss Harry Redknapp and even Allardyce to steer the ship back to calmer waters. Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi are reportedly to be Tottenham’s top managerial targets this summer, while Robbie Keane – currently in charge of Ferencvaros in Hungary – could be considered if they are relegated to the Championship.

But the ugly truth is that Spurs cannot look forward to the summer until they are safe, and that underlines the severity of the situation. With nine games to go and some tough upcoming fixtures, a scenario where Tottenham are relegated from the Premier League appears to be more realistic than ever. If they fail to make the right decision on Tudor in terms of whether to stick or twist, it could cost them hundreds of millions – and their priceless Premier League status.