Tottenham have announced the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager, and he has already approached World Cup winner Alessandro Nesta about a role in his staff.
Roberto De Zerbi assembling Tottenham’s coaching staff (Image: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Roberto De Zerbi has already moved to Tottenham, with Italian great Alessandro Nesta offering him a role on the coaching staff.
De Zerbi has been invited to return to the Premier League and was announced as Spurs’ new manager on Tuesday afternoon. He is already eyeing his deputy to help the club avoid relegation from the Premier League and has set his sights on one of the great defenders of the 2000s.
Italian outlet Tuttosport reported that Nesta, now 50 and a 2006 World Cup winner, has been given the chance to become De Zerbi’s assistant manager. He is currently considering the offer, but has only worked as a head coach so far in his career.
After his retirement, Nesta turned into a coach and was in charge of Miami FC, Perugia, Frosinone, Reggiana and Monza. Last term, he was offered the door by Monza at the bottom of Serie A in December 2024, but was reappointed just seven weeks later.
They were unable to turn their results around, as Monza were relegated to Serie B in 20th place and Nesta was given the opportunity to work outside Italy.
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Given his success as a player, he will bring a huge amount of experience and confidence. Nesta played for Lazio in the early 2000s before winning the Champions League as part of AC Milan, winning it in 2003 and 2007.
De Zerbi and his coaching staff will take charge of the first game of the week at Sunderland on Sunday. The new boss said: “Our short-term priority is to move up the Premier League table and our focus will be completely on that until the final whistle of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with the players to achieve that.”
Alessandro Nesta could win a role at Tottenham
De Zerbi’s annual salary is reported to be between £12m and £15m, making him the third-highest paid manager in the Premier League. Despite the threat of relegation, the Italian is believed to have no release clause in his contract.
De Zerbi was quickly identified as the club’s first choice after Igor Tudor’s underwhelming run of form ended without a win after just 44 days. Other options considered by Tottenham were German coaches Edin Terzic and Marco Rose, as well as two-time interim head coach Ryan Mason.
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