‘A lovely man, great coach and inspirational figure’ - tributes to Ugo Ehiogu

Our Chairman, Daniel Levy, has led tributes from the Club following the sad, sudden passing of Under-23 coach Ugo Ehiogu.

A former England international who played at the top level for Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Glasgow Rangers in a career spanning 1989-2009, Ugo joined our coaching staff full-time in July, 2014. He passed away in hospital on Friday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest at the Training Centre on Thursday.

Daniel said: “This is an incredibly sad day for the Club and a tragic loss of a talented member of our Spurs family. Ugo was an extremely popular and respected academy coach, a tremendous influence on our younger players both in training and away from the pitch and he will be greatly missed. Everyone’s thoughts are with Ugo’s family at this difficult time.”

First team manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “Ugo was a lovely man and we had a very good relationship from the first day we arrived at the Club.

“He was a person who always helped us a lot and we will miss him greatly. We are all in shock, it happened so quickly. I send all my love to his family and friends at such a difficult time. It’s a huge loss both personally and for all the Tottenham Hotspur family.”

Harry Kane was a member of the England squad coached by Ugo, Peter Taylor and Chris Ramsey at the Under-20 World Cup in 2013.

Striker Harry said: “Ugo was a big part of our development team at Spurs and a great character around the place, full of life, always laughing and joking, always in good spirits.

“He was a fantastic person for the younger players at the Club to be around. He was a great coach and an inspiration to those younger players, he’d been there and done it at the very highest level and played for England.

“They had the benefit of all that experience, wanted to learn from him and looked up to him. It’s such sad news, completely out of the blue. All our thoughts from myself and the players go out to his family and friends. It’s a sad moment for everyone at the Club.”

Legendary former captain and Club Ambassador Gary Mabbutt, who played a number of times against Ugo during his 16 years at Spurs between 1982-99, added: “I’m very heavy-hearted since hearing the sad news of Ugo's passing. He was a good friend, a lovely family man and a gentleman of the game.”

Head of Coaching and Player Development John McDermott said: “Words cannot express the shock and sadness that we all feel at the Club. Ugo’s immense presence will be irreplaceable. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his wife Gemma and his family.”