Former USMNT coach Jürgen Klinsmann has refused to rule out a stunning return to Tottenham Hotspur should Igor Tudor lose his job in north London.
Spurs are in a serious mess. Without a Premier League win in 2026, they’re now just a point clear of the relegation zone. A surreal 5–2 defeat on a suspiciously greasy surface at Atlético Madrid means that they’ve lost six games in a row in all competitions for the first time in club history.
They’ve quite literally never been this bad, with many fans demanding another change in manager, given that Tudor has overseen four straight defeats since succeeding Thomas Frank.
A lack of options has left an unpopular Spurs board in a tough spot, with many believing that someone with close ties to the club must be brought in should they part ways with Tudor. His sacking could come after Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, with the Lilywhites winless at Anfield in 15 years.
Klinsmann Puts Himself in the Running for Tottenham Job
The elusive “Tottenham man” has manifested in rather comical ways amid the increasing pressure on Tudor.
Tim Sherwood, the old-school former midfielder who helped somewhat steady the ship in between André Villas-Boas and Mauricio Pochettino, previously thrust himself into contention, but he hasn’t held a managerial post since 2015.
Some have also advocated for 79-year-old Harry Redknapp, who’s only eight years retired, and Glenn Hoddle, the iconic Spurs midfielder and ex-manager who suffered a serious health scare in 2018.
Such suggestions reek of desperation, but it depicts the severity of their current position. Klinsmann may appear a similarly bizarre suggestion on the surface, but the legendary German striker has close ties with the north London club and has only been out of management for two years.
“Who wouldn’t want the job? It is Tottenham,” he told ESPN FC, when asked whether he’d take the poisoned chalice on. “Whoever you choose, you need a person who can connect to everyone emotionally, that knows the club, that feels the club, that feels the people.
“To get out of this mess, they need to develop a fighting spirit, a really nasty, ugly, fighting spirit and that goes only over the emotions,” he added.
Klinsmann is far from an elite manager, but he’s held in an immensely high regard by a certain generation of Spurs fans. There’s no doubt that the 61-year-old could restore the connection between players and supporters that’s been sapped over the past few months, with astute man-management the key to ensuring this broken Spurs squad start enjoying their soccer again.
Klinsmann’s Coaching Pedigree
Klinsmann has taken five managerial positions since hanging up his boots, but only two at club level.
After helping the German national team exceed expectations on home soil at the 2006 World Cup, Klinsmann earned the Bayern Munich job in early 2008 but would ultimately fail in Bavaria. His lack of tactical insight was later lamented by Philipp Lahm, among others. Still, Klinsmann did help oversee a culture shift at his former club, one that was developed by Louis van Gaal and perfected by Pep Guardiola.
His struggles at Bayern mean Klinsmann has seldom been considered by Europe‘s elite, but he coached at his second World Cup in 2014, this time with the USMNT. Klinsmann promised much but ultimately undelivered, despite a decent showing in Brazil.
A very brief stint at Hertha Berlin was followed up by another underwhelming tenure with South Korea, which concluded with a semifinal defeat to Jordan at the Asian Cup in February 2024.
