Tottenham parted ways with interim boss Igor Tudor after just 44 days over the weekend and now set their sights on a crucial appointment
Former Tottenham coach and player Chris Hughton has been linked with an unlikely return after Igor Tudor’s exit. Spurs have already been sent a clear message about how well-regarded the 67-year-old is by players.
With the club in crisis and the threat of relegation looking very real, Tottenham parted ways with interim manager Tudor over the weekend. His tenure lasted just 44 days and he failed to win a single Premier League fixture after taking over from Thomas Frank.
Spurs now need a coach to come in and save them from the drop, and a host of names have been mooted. Ex-Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi appears to be the leading candidate, according to reports, but Hughton has also been mentioned.
Hughton spent a combined 27 years at the club, first as a player, making nearly 400 appearances, and second as a coach. He acted as an interim or caretaker manager in north London on three occasions and although it seems improbable that he’ll be called upon again, he is well thought of by those who have played under him.
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The former Republic of Ireland international left Spurs in 2007 as part of the departing Martin Jol’s coaching team and took up first-team positions elsewhere. He started as a coach at Newcastle United, then became caretaker manager and eventually head coach.
Hughton would go on to manage Birmingham City, Norwich City, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and the Ghanaian national team, which was his last role, ending in January 2024. Michael Dawson played for Hughton at Spurs and then Forest. He told The Athletic in 2020: “I have spoken to a lot of players who have worked under him and they all say, ‘Wow, what a gaffer he is.’
“I first got to know Chris at Spurs, from the first day I walked in at the age of 21. He was assistant manager to Martin Jol and he took me under his wing and looked after me at a time when I was stepping into a different world. I was trying to settle in at a massive club, in a new city and Chris was a massive help for me, not just as a coach or manager, but on a personal level.
“He just helped to keep me calm at a time when I was desperate to make a positive first impression. I arrived with a stress fracture in my shin. I was injured. But, when you get signed for money, there is pressure on you. I went into this dressing room with some absolute superstars and I was just a young lad from the Championship. I was concerned.
“But he was always dead chatty, always telling me to relax because my opportunity would come. Thankfully that did eventually happen. But he was always just encouraging me. Playing in the Premier League brings expectation and he always went out of his way to help. He would help me on the training ground and he was always approachable if you wanted a chat.”
Discussing when Hughton arrived at the City Ground six years ago, he added: “Chris has expectations and standards he will set and an intensity he will expect from you. If you give him those things, you will get honesty back from him.
“The intensity of training changed immediately… but that is normal. Whenever a new manager comes in, players all know how important first impressions are. They all want to impress. You want to be playing in his first game. You want to be part of things.
“We had some great times at Spurs. When you have a connection with somebody already, it makes things so much easier. It does take time for a new group of players to gel and the manager has to find his best team. But the only thing that matters is getting back to winning.”
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