Ian Wright says Tottenham stars have “checked out” under Igor Tudor

Ian Wright has claimed some Tottenham players may have already “checked out” under new interim manager Igor Tudor following their 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby.

The former Arsenal striker was reacting to a moment during the match where Micky van de Ven appeared not to respond to instructions from the touchline. For Wright, the exchange raised concerns about player buy-in at a critical stage of the season.

Tottenham currently sit 16th in the Premier League, four points above the relegation zone, and face a tense run-in.

Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick To Football podcast, Wright said:

“Against Arsenal I saw Igor Tudor try to speak to Van de Ven, he blanked him, totally blanked him. That says to me they have checked out already.”

Gary Neville described the assessment as harsh, while Roy Keane suggested similar patterns occurred under previous management. Wright, however, stood by his view.

“This guy is new, he wants him to come up and Van de Ven just looks at him and stays there. That doesn’t look good.”

Tudor moved quickly to dismiss the suggestion of tension in his pre-match press conference.

“If you watch carefully, I don’t speak to him in that moment. Afterwards, I said to him to come closer, and he comes closer. We didn’t talk about it because nothing happened.”

The Croatian described the defender as “a fantastic professional”.

With Tottenham’s position precarious, attention has turned to the psychological challenge of navigating the final stretch of the season.

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, drawing on his own experience at Wigan, warned that clarity and measurable objectives are essential in relegation battles.

“The problem is when you are going into the last third hoping you are not going to get dragged down,” Martinez said. “Everything has to be measurable. It is about winning the next game.”

Spurs’ winter struggles have been compounded by injuries to key players, although Martinez cautioned against waiting for returning stars as a solution.

Having followed Tottenham’s recent performances, inconsistency rather than individual quality has defined their slide. However, it remains too early to conclude that dressing room unity is fractured.

Tottenham travel to Fulham next, a fixture that could shape momentum in the survival race. A positive result would ease immediate pressure, while another setback could deepen scrutiny around Tudor’s early tenure.

Are Spurs mentally prepared for a relegation fight?