Roberto De Zerbi: Spurs appoint Italian as third head coach of the season on five-year contract | Soccer News

Tottenham appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their third head coach of the season.

De Zerbi has agreed terms on a five-year deal with Spurs, currently one point above the Premier League’s bottom three, which does not include a relegation release clause.

Spurs are fighting to avoid a first top-flight relegation since 1977 in the final seven games of the season.

De Zerbi’s appointment “raises serious and far-reaching concerns”says the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, because of its support for Mason Greenwood when he was Marseille’s head coach.

Sky Sports News understand that the Spurs board have carefully considered and discussed the sentiments surrounding De Zerbi’s association with Greenwood during the appointment process and their new head coach is expected to address the issue.

De Zerbi has more than a week to prepare for his first game, a trip to Sunderland on April 12, live Sky Sports, and says climbing the table is Spurs’ “short-term priority.”

The pressure is on to land this appointment just after Igor Tudor’s disastrous 44-day spell in which he failed to win a Premier League game. Spurs have moved on three head coaches in the past year.

De Zerbi, who was previously reluctant to accept a job before the summer after leaving Marseille, says he was convinced to join Spurs on a “long-term contract” following talks with the club’s leadership.

“Their ambition for the future was clear – to build a team capable of great achievements, and to do so by playing a style of football that excites and inspires our fans,” De Zerbi told the Spurs website.

“I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.”

Sporting director Johan Lange said Spurs were delighted De Zerbi, their first choice to take over in the summer, had agreed to take up the mantle to keep them in the Premier League.

“He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football, and brings a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League,” added Lange.

How De Zerbi plans to keep Spurs up

Sky Sports News Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:

Roberto De Zerbi is ready for the challenge. Spurs have seven games to avoid their first relegation since 1977 and he feels it is a massive responsibility to ensure their ever-present Premier League status is preserved.

With just a point above the drop zone, everyone at Tottenham recognizes the perilous position they are in.

De Zerbi made it clear that the only objective at the moment is to channelize resources to make sure the club stays up. Everything else – building for the long term and restoring Tottenham to the top of the Premier League – will come later.

The Italian is not buying into the talk that a rebuild and wholesale changes are needed. He is well aware of the strengths of the current team and believes it needs consistency, a fixed goal and a clear path out of danger.

Much has been made of De Zerbi’s expansive approach, which his former Brighton captain Lewis Dunk said “stunned” the players when he arrived at the club in September 2022.

But it is understood that with Spurs’ current predicament, he will not overcomplicate it for the players, instead simplifying the game and tactics to maximize short-term returns.

The 46-year-old believes that so many changes before him at Spurs have affected the players, and now it’s about fighting for a common cause.

There were also question marks over his fireability, given his exits at Brighton and Marseille after falling out with the hierarchy.

For De Zerbi, this is a sign of his passion for the job – he makes high demands on himself, his players, sporting directors and senior managers. He believes that challenging each other is the best way to improve and to get the best out of everyone.

De Zerbi’s appointment has faced concern from several Spurs fan groups after he backed Mason Greenwood when he was Marseille boss.

He reportedly expects questions about this when he is presented to the media for the first time.

But ultimately De Zerbi wants to have a strong relationship with fans, as he has done at all previous clubs, to help prevent Spurs from dropping into the Championship.

‘De Zerbi will be Spurs’ best spend if he keeps them up’

Sky Sports’ Paul Merson:

I was quite bullish about Tottenham staying up and then after the Nottingham Forest game (Spurs lost 3-0 at home), you’re like, ‘Wow. They are really in trouble.

It just shows you what a big club Tottenham are. I know they are struggling at the moment, but to get someone like De Zerbi, who is a top, top manager. To get him to come to the club just tells you everything about how big Tottenham are. So now they have a chance.

I don’t care how much money he gets. Whatever he gets, if he keeps them, it’s the best money they’ve ever, ever, ever spent.

He wanted to come in at the start of next season, he’s going to come in now. So they have to throw the kitchen sink at him. They must. They can’t afford to go down.

Can De Zerbi deliver the required immediate results?

Tottenham, who currently sit one point above the relegation zone, need a head coach who can produce immediate results with just seven games left to ensure their survival.

De Zerbi has established himself as a coach who instills a possession-based philosophy and creates teams that are praised for their attractive style of football.

However, the Italian’s start at Brighton when he took over mid-season in 2022 following Graham Potter’s departure would suggest he may struggle to make the required impact.

De Zerbi failed to win any of his first five Premier League games in charge of Brighton, drawing twice and losing three games, although he faced a difficult schedule.

Taking over from Serie A newcomers Benevento in mid-season in 2017, De Zerbi’s side were praised for the football they played but were relegated from Italy’s top flight.

De Zerbi failed to win any of his first nine games in charge of Benevento.

The Italian also struggled when he took over at Palermo mid-season in 2016, winning just one of his 13 games before being sacked less than three months into the job.

Sky Sports News Special: Inside Spurs

On Thursday at 7:00 p.m, Sky Sports News will broadcast a special program on Spurs’ problems with their ever-present Premier League status under serious threat.

‘Inside Spurs’ will feature special guests including Jamie O’Harato dissect and examine the club’s predicament as they seek to avoid a first relegation in 49 years.

The program will also analyze the appointment of Roberto De Zerbiwho just became the club’s third head coach of the season.