Roberto De Zerbi takes charge at Tottenham Hotspur: Can he possibly save the sinking ship?

The former Brighton boss has returned to the Premier League with the aim of rescuing Tottenham's sinking ship. (Image credits – Heute; licence details).

Tottenham Hotspur have appointed former Brighton and Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager, who is also the club's third manager of the season. The North London giants are in huge turmoil as they are struggling in a relegation battle with London rivals West Ham United.

The Italian boss has seven games to save the club from getting relegated from the English top flight for the first time in thirty years. De Zerbi has signed a five-year contract with Spurs, and he does not have a relegation clause in his contract.

In a span of two months the Italian is the club's third appointment following the sacking of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor. The appointment of De Zerbi is a desperate move from the club to save them from an embarrassing relegation to the Championship.

The alarming situation about this appointment is that the Italian manager is well known for his progressive and creative football rather than saving a club from a relegation scrap. This is set to be a huge challenge for the players to adapt to his style of football in such a short time.

"I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world,” said Roberto De Zerbi after his appointment. (sic)

"In all my discussions with the club's leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.

He added, "Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season.” (sic)

As per reports, Tottenham wanted to appoint De Zerbi to replace Thomas Frank, but at the same time, the Italian international was sacked by Marseille. Therefore, the club chose to approach Igor Tudor, but that move failed as well. The Croatian manager managed to win just one game in charge and was able to scrap out just one point in the league.

De Zerbi’s Premier League experience and his reputation for playing a progressive and creative brand of football inspired by Pep Guardiola's style of football have made the club appoint him.

The Italian was the best option they could get from the market to save them from a relegation battle, as appointing another interim manager at this position could prove to be fatal again. The Lilywhites are 17th in the league and one point above the relegation zone.

They haven't won a single game in 2026, and we're four months into the new year as well. If they fail to capitalise even after the international break and West Ham United take charge, it would be one of the most ridiculous relegations of all time, as they had just clinched the Europa League last season.

Why did Tottenham choose Roberto De Zerbi?

Roberto De Zerbi has always been a manager with a clear tactical philosophy and a style of football which Tottenham seek at the moment. His work at his former clubs, Brighton and Sassuolo, got admired by football pundits and fans across the globe because of his emphasis on positional play, high pressing and a wide structured build-up. His stint in the Premier League with the Seagulls demonstrated that even with a low-budget squad and young players, he could elevate the team with his tactical philosophy.

"Roberto was our number one target for the summer, and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now,” said Spurs Sporting Director Johan Lange. (sic)

He added, "He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League.” (sic)

The Italian will inherit a team that is low on confidence and under huge pressure because of the high expectations from the fans, which is obvious at such a big club. Tottenham's defence has been quite poor this season, and even up front they've lacked consistency despite having quality players. De Zerbi's primary task would be to regain the players' confidence in a short time and also implement his tactical ideas.

Key players like Richarlison, Micky van de Ven, Christian Romero and Dominic Solanke need to step up, and the midfield has to be able to take control of a game, especially if they want to succeed under the Italian boss. De Zerbi's emphasis on building the chances from the back could prove to be lethal if executed well but, again, could hurt them back given their fragile backline.

De Zerbi's first game in charge will be against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, followed by a game against his former club Brighton. Their remaining games are against Leeds and Everton at home and Wolves, Aston Villa and Chelsea away from home. It is more than just a managerial role; it is set to be a huge challenge.

In these seven games, if he would able to save the club from relegation, De Zerbi would instantly be a hero of the north London giants and would be able to make the team adapt to his ways next season.

This is a bold move from the Spurs management as the league enters its decisive phase. All eyes will be on North London as one is set on lifting the Premier League title while the other is set to save themselves from relegation, and the remaining few games will decide the fate. Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson seemed optimistic following the Italian’s arrival.

He said: "He will be having his own way – he's quite a character.” (sic)

He added, "He's a very outspoken manager. He's a manager in a similar way to Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte that Tottenham have had in the past.” (sic)