Tottenham Hotspur’s new coach Igor Tudor reassured north London fans on Friday by declaring he was ‘100 per cent’ confident the side would remain in the Premier League next season ahead of his club debut against Arsenal.
Tottenham are five points above the relegation zone in 16th, which led to Thomas Frank being sacked and the club appointing former Juventus boss Tudor until the end of the season in a bid to salvage the campaign.
Tudor’s first match is against league leaders and arch-rivals Arsenal. Asked whether Spurs would still be a Premier League team next season, the Croatian told reporters: “100 percent!”
«This (relegation battle) is not important,» he said, adding: «Fighting for every position, relegation, first position, UEFA places – you reach this position by what you do during the week and on Sundays. It is a consequence of this. It does not gain you anything if you think about relegation. All these goals are far away; I never attach importance to them.»
READ ALSO | Premier League 2025-2026: Arteta urges Arsenal to ‘write their own destiny’ after title wobble
Tudor also brushed aside suggestions that the club’s small margin for error should influence its approach.
«Five points (from the relegation zone), ten, two – it’s the same. We have to be focused. Let’s concentrate on this and see what we can achieve. Looking down or up doesn’t achieve anything,» he said.
«The players want to have clarity about what we want. This was the goal. To send a message about values and how we want to play. It is not about systems. It is important to become a team, a group that takes care of each other. For me this is fundamental. After that the quality can emerge, and for me this is a team with quality, with legs that can run. There is potential,» he added.
Tudor also relished the prospect of welcoming Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in his first match.
«It’s a great game to restart. I’ve heard a lot of good things about them. We have to show them that we care and that we want to make a change immediately,» Tudor said.
With several players injured, Tudor said he only had 13 players in training but this was “enough to achieve what we want” in Sunday’s derby.
Defender Cristian Romero remains suspended after a second red card this season, and Tudor refused to reveal who would wear the captain’s armband in the derby.
«You’ll see on Sunday,» he said.
Published on February 20, 2026
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Kay-Fico-021926-2941b8cda469453eb21a831febeb05c2.jpg?w=238&resize=238,178&ssl=1 "Un niño pequeño prueba una hamburguesa Five Guys por primera vez e Internet no puede soportar su reacción eufórica (exclusivo)")
