Milan (AFP) – Former Croatian international Igor Tudor was on Tuesday appointed coach of struggling Italian club Udinese hours after Massimo Oddo was axed following an 11-game Serie A losing streak.
The north-eastern club released 41-year-old former AC Milan and Italy defender Oddo and his coaching staff after just five months in the job.
Tudor — a former Juventus defender who coached Turkish giants Galatasaray last year — was set to oversee his first training session on Tuesday afternoon.
Oddo, who as a player was part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad, was appointed last November in place of Luigi Delneri.
After a positive start the former Pescara coach won just six games and the club have plummeted to 15th position, four points above the relegation zone with four games to play.
“I took the opportunity to coach a historic club like Udinese with the enthusiasm of a child,” Oddo wrote on Instagram.
“We tried everything to get out of these difficulties, certainly some things didn’t go the right way, we’ve definitely made some mistakes but always with a positive attitude.
“You gave us the biggest boost with your unconditional support, which never wavered even in this darkest hour.”
Tudor — capped 55 times for Croatia and a defender with Juventus from 1998 to 2007 — started his coaching career in 2013 at Hajduk Split, where he won the Croatian Cup.
The 40-year-old has also coached PAOK in Greece and Turkish sides Karabukspor and Galatasaray. He was fired by Galatasaray in December despite being in second place in the Turkish league.
Udinese — the second oldest club in Italy after Genoa — finished 13th last season.
