Tudor quits Lazio after just three months in charge

Croatian coach Igor Tudor has ended his contract with Lazio after just three months in the job, the Serie A club announced on Thursday.

Under Tudor, who took over from Maurizio Sarri in mid-March, Lazio have suffered just one league defeat, winning five and drawing three.

They finished seventh in Serie A and secured the last qualifying place for Europe.

"Igor Tudor has resigned as first-team coach," the club said in a statement released on Wednesday night.

"The club thanks him for the work he has done and wishes him all the best in his personal and professional life."

According to the Italian press, which had forecast Tudor's departure earlier on Wednesday, the former Juventus player was at odds with his bosses over the composition of the current squad and his transfer targets.

In particular, the 46-year-old Croat, who left Marseille after just one season in June 2023, no longer wanted Frenchman Matteo Guendouzi in his squad.

Lazio, however, are keen to keep him after a successful first season since his departure from Marseille, where Tudor had relegated him to the substitutes' bench.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Lazio are keen to replace Tudor with Marco Baroni, who is currently at Verona.

They are also interested in their former player Sergio Conceicao who has just left Porto and was previously tipped to join Marseille.

The off-season will see a major shake-up among Serie A coaches with as many as 11 of the 20 clubs expected to change.

Napoli recruited former Italy coach Antonio Conte on Wednesday, while Juventus and AC Milan are expected to appoint Thiago Motta, formerly of Bologna, and Paulo Fonseca, who left Lille on Wednesday, respectively in the coming days.