After leaving Olympique de Marseille, Roberto De Zerbi has taken the helm at Tottenham, as announced by the English club on Tuesday. The Italian has committed to a “long-term” deal, according to a statement from the club, with British media reporting a five-year contract.
De Zerbi’s immediate task will be to avoid a catastrophic relegation for the Spurs, who are currently 17th in the English league with just one point more than the current bottom team, West Ham, with seven matches remaining. He becomes the third manager for the London team this season after the Danish Thomas Frank, appointed in June and sacked in February, and the Croatian Igor Tudor, dismissed after just seven matches and 44 days in charge. “Roberto was our number one target for the summer and we are very happy to bring him in now,” said sporting director Johan Lange. “He is one of the most creative and visionary coaches in world football, bringing immense experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League.”
De Zerbi, former coach of Sassuolo (Italy) and Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), is back in England after almost two years since leaving Brighton, where he managed from 2022 to 2024. He then led Marseille until his departure in February, following an embarrassing elimination from the Champions League and a severe 5-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
De Zerbi will have seven matches to avoid relegation by the end of the season, all in the Premier League, with a clear goal to prevent a shameful drop to the second division, something the North London club has not experienced in half a century (1977-1978). Tottenham has not won any matches in the league since the start of 2026 (with five draws and eight losses). This disastrous streak has brought them closer to West Ham, the current bottom team, just one point behind after 31 matches. De Zerbi could even find himself in the relegation zone at the start of his first match on April 12th against Sunderland, as West Ham will have played two days earlier at home against the bottom team, Wolverhampton.
