Tottenham Hotspur have not enjoyed the so-called ‘manager bounce’ since Igor Tudor took charge. In fact, defeats against Arsenal and Fulham have underlined the danger of being relegated from the Premier League.
Ravaged by injuries and stripped of confidence, Spurs need to find some form from somewhere, and quickly. West Ham United are 18th in the standings and trail their London rivals by just four points.
Tudor is at the helm on an interim basis until the end of the season, and even if he manages to stave off the threat of the drop, ENIC Group will likely move to secure a different permanent appointment this summer.
The latest on Spurs’ managerial search
Such uncertainty makes Tottenham’s hopes of securing an impressive project manager later in 2026 somewhat tricky. After all, top-class candidates cannot be assured that Spurs will play Premier League football next season.
It’s true that the consistency of the Lilywhites’ shortcomings tells of cracks that run far deeper than the dugout, and it’s for that reason that sporting director Johan Lange has his work cut out in securing the perfect appointment to spearhead a new era.
According to Football Insider, Tottenham may have found their man in Niko Kovac, who is currently in charge at Borussia Dortmund but of a vested interest to the Londoners all the same.
Kovac, 54, is one of several targets understood to be on ENIC Group’s radar (Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi are among the other top contenders).
Older reports from Germany confirm early talks have been held with the Yellow Wall’s manager, whose future is less certain after Dortmund were dumped out of the Champions League by Atalanta.
Why Niko Kovac would suit Spurs
Kovac is a principled manager who advocates clear tactical understanding from his players. Be it a 4-2-3-1 or a more expansive 4-3-3, the one-time Croatian captain wants intensity and a strong pressing game. He is not a possession-heavy coach.
Still, having won the DFB-Pokal with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2017/18 and completed a domestic treble with Bayern Munich one year later, Kovac has a winning mentality and has even been described as “one of the best coaches in Europe” by football writer Sebastien C.
Is he pragmatic? That depends on your perspective. Kovac is not front-footed in the same vein as, say, Ange Postecoglou, but neither would he employ the overly cautious approach that alienated so many Spurs fans from Thomas Frank and Nuno Espirito Santo’s approaches.
Moreover, Kovac invariably secures strong and consistent results, boasting excellent points-per-game rates across the lion’s share of his clubs managed in recent years. A short-lived stint with Wolfsburg before being appointed by Dortmund is the only blemish in that regard, and he has since regained face.
|
Niko Kovac’s Managerial record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Games |
Points per Game |
|
Dortmund |
62 |
1.95 |
|
Wolfsburg |
66 |
1.30 |
|
Monaco |
74 |
1.95 |
|
Bayern |
65 |
2.26 |
|
Frankfurt |
91 |
1.54 |
His average term time as a head coach, it’s also worth noting, comes in at about 1.54 years. Tudor’s, conversely, is far less, an average of 0.69.
Tudor’s tactics and training methods have already prompted “head-scratching” responses from some pundits, and given that Tottenham have been meekly turned over in their two matches thus far, he’s got a lot of work to do in order to convince the powers that be down N17 that he would be the right fit in the long run.
This is all assuming that Tottenham do not get relegated from the Premier League, of course. But if that dreadful outcome is swerved, Kovac might just be the perfect coach to kickstart a successful and sustainable new chapter that has been a long time in the making.
Tudor can finally drop Simons by unleashing Spurs gem who’s “Henry-like”
Tottenham’s Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Thursday already feels like a six-pointer.
