The most significant development in club football at the moment is at Tottenham Hotspur, who have appointed Roberto De Zerbi on a five-year contract to succeed Igor Tudor, following the interim coach’s brief six-week tenure.
De Zerbi, who has been unemployed since leaving Ligue 1 club Marseille in February, faces a monumental challenge in north London. His new team is engaged in a struggle to evade Premier League relegation for a second consecutive season, currently positioned just one point above the relegation zone with seven matches left to play.
“I am thrilled to be joining this remarkable football club, which is among the largest and most esteemed in the world,” De Zerbi stated in a club announcement. “I am here because I believe in that ambition, and I have signed a long-term contract to commit fully to achieving it.”
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De Zerbi is Tottenham’s third manager for the 2025-26 season, following Thomas Frank (dismissed in February) and the departing Igor Tudor, who was relieved of his position on March 29 without securing a victory in any of his five league matches. But why did Tottenham choose the passionate former Brighton & Hove Albion manager, and what tactical adjustments can he implement with this squad to secure their survival in the Premier League?
Why has Tottenham hired De Zerbi?
Sources have informed ESPN that De Zerbi has been the club’s preferred candidate for a long-term role this summer; they even attempted to recruit him after Thomas Frank’s dismissal in February. De Zerbi parted ways with Marseille on the same day Frank was let go by Spurs, but sources familiar with the discussions indicated that the Italian’s hesitation to immediately take another position led the club to explore other options, ultimately hiring Tudor.
De Zerbi, 46, was also considered when Tottenham decided to appoint Frank last year. At that time, the club established ten criteria for a new head coach, which included a history of developing young talent, effective communication with the media, and an appealing style of play. Despite Frank’s shortcomings in the role, those criteria largely remain intact. In a rare interview with media, including ESPN, on February 20, sporting director Johan Lange elaborated on the importance of style.
“We are very ambitious to create a team that can play dominant football and control matches with the ball for several reasons,” Lange remarked. “If you observe nearly every league globally, that is typically how the top teams achieve success — by dominating possession, creating opportunities, and being aggressive without the ball, which is, of course, the essence of football.”
De Zerbi’s Brighton exemplified that profile, but the reality is that style can develop over time. More urgently, he has seven matches to assist Spurs in avoiding the disaster of relegation to the Championship.
Sources familiar with the situation indicate that the club was also eager to prevent the instability associated with another interim appointment, believing there were no other highly credible coaches available at this time. It was also considered that a group of players lacking confidence and coached in vastly different styles by Frank and Tudor would benefit from the stability of knowing the new head coach was not merely a temporary figure, having signed a long-term contract through 2031.
Additional advantages arise from the certainty that De Zerbi’s appointment should bring to the transfer market. Spurs cannot guarantee the level of football they can offer potential signings next summer, but with De Zerbi in place, the club can identify and begin laying the groundwork for the targets needed to help him implement his style of play. Likewise, De Zerbi can conduct thorough evaluations of the current squad and start clarifying who he wishes to work with in the upcoming season.
play2:17Olley explains why Tottenham want De Zerbi in charge
James Olley explains why Spurs are targeting Roberto De Zerbi as the individual to rescue them from relegation and advance the club.
Sources have indicated to ESPN that there is an internal acknowledgment of the necessity for a significant overhaul of the playing staff, along with a more aggressive approach to the club’s wage structure, which has historically been relatively conservative by traditional ‘Big Six’ standards. However, a note of caution emerged on Monday in Spurs’ latest financial report for the year ending June 30, 2025: a loss of Β£94.7 million and a net debt of Β£831.2 million.
Spurs also made considerable efforts to persuade De Zerbi to accept the role this season, sources told ESPN. One source suggested that a substantial bonus is included in his new contract, activated if relegation is successfully avoided. The five-year agreement — again, a duration intended to provide maximum stability — does not contain a relegation clause, demonstrating a strong show of confidence from both parties.
De Zerbi is indeed an effective communicator, but he is also a controversial figure. He has a history of conflicts with players and executives, with disagreements often revolving around his demand for a greater influence in transfer strategy and a more aggressive market approach.
Sources have informed ESPN that the more volatile aspects of De Zerbi’s character were acknowledged and taken into account, but simultaneously, bringing in a manager with such a clear vision of his objectives and playing style can provide clarity to the team’s direction, which has felt notably aimless recently. In simple terms, De Zerbi’s strong personality could fill a gap that many staff believe exists at the club regarding their future strategy.
play0:56Pochettino backs Tottenham to stay up ‘with or without coach’
Mauricio Pochettino believes his former club Tottenham will avoid relegation from the Premier League amid speculation about his return to north London.
Sources indicate that both the club and De Zerbi are aware of his previous remarks regarding Mason Greenwood, as three Spurs fan groups have expressed their opposition to his appointment. Greenwood initially faced three charges — one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behavior, and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm — in October 2022. The case was later dropped after key witnesses withdrew and “new material came to light.”
Greenwood joined Marseille in 2024, and De Zerbi later referred to him as “a good guy” who had paid a “heavy price.” Sources have informed ESPN that those comments were discussed during the hiring process, but Spurs felt sufficiently confident to move forward. — James Olley
Is De Zerbi the right man to keep Spurs up?
During his two seasons with Brighton, from 2022-24, De Zerbi made a significant tactical impact on the Premier League. The Italian instructed his players to adopt a rather unusual approach that distinguished them from the rest of the league.
Watching any Brighton match from 2023 reveals something rarely seen elsewhere: Frequently, when in possession near the halfway line, the Seagulls’ center-backs not only came to a complete halt with the ball but also placed their studs on top of it. This was De Zerbi’s method of enticing opponents to press his players and attempt to regain possession. This tactic became known as “baiting the press,” and once it occurred, Brighton would execute a neat triangle around the opponents, swiftly finding themselves exploiting the space that opened up.
For a coach heavily focused on possession — and with De Zerbi, it is all about maintaining the ball — this was a vital strategy for breaking down teams that attempted to sit back, defend deeper, and protect the center of the pitch… and it proved effective.
Brighton finished sixth in 2022-23, achieving the best league position in the club’s history, which led them into a European campaign for the first time. Only Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City scored more goals than the Seagulls’ 72. Alexis Mac Allister, MoisΓ©s Caicedo, Leandro Trossard, and Kaoru Mitoma all flourished under De Zerbi’s leadership.
The Italian prioritizes technically proficient players in every position — even goalkeeper — as he demands his team to consistently play short passes from the back. When executed well, it appears impressive: smooth combination plays bypass opponents’ pressing and open up the entire pitch for attacking transitions.
Defensively, teams under De Zerbi are proactive in attempting to regain possession high up the pitch. De Zerbi instructs his striker to initiate the press, with teammates following suit. One of the advantages of maintaining high possession — his teams typically average over 55% possession throughout a season, with individual matches sometimes reaching the high 60s or low 70s — is that players can conserve energy while in possession and then expend it when pressing after losing the ball.
All of this, of course, sounds excellent in theory, and there is clear evidence that his methods have led to positive, even exceptional outcomes at Sassuolo, Brighton, and Marseille over the past decade. However, the significant question remains how much of this can be effectively applied to Tottenham in their current situation. By the time they next compete, against Sunderland on April 12, Spurs could find themselves in the relegation zone if their relegation rivals West Ham United win their home match against bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers two days earlier.
Will the Tottenham defensive unit adapt to a sudden shift in playing out under pressure and baiting the press? Can an effective pressing system be instilled in such a limited timeframe? And, most importantly, do Spurs possess the right midfielders to execute a possession-heavy style of play?
It must be emphasized: In this version of the Premier League, where teams have invested heavily to become larger, stronger, and more athletic, playing ineffective possession football is a formula for failure. Errant passes are seized upon and punished immediately. The vast majority of teams in the league have abandoned the concept of total football because they are simply not equipped to execute it — or the risks are too significant.
Will De Zerbi adhere to his philosophy despite the dire circumstances he currently faces, or will he compromise his principles in the short term? If the latter is the case… will that even be effective? — Sam Tighe
