Roberto De Zerbi’s first words as Tottenham manager after contract clause surprise | Soccer | Sports

Roberto de Zerbi has spoken in his first press conference since becoming Tottenham’s new manager, saying that despite Spurs’ current predicament, they remain one of the “biggest” clubs on the planet. The Italian has been tasked with steering the Premier League club away from relegation after previous caretaker manager Igor Tudor failed to reinvigorate the squad. Tudor stepped down on Sunday after just 44 days and seven games in charge at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He didn’t win either, earning just one point out of a possible 21.

Former Brighton manager De Zerbi, 46, only left Marseille in February and was tipped as a top summer target. But Spurs had managed to slot him into the role by then as they sought to avoid dropping out of English football’s top flight for the first time since the 1977-78 season. With seven games remaining, they are one point and one place above West Ham, but with six-point shots against Wolves and Leeds included, it is very likely that they will fall down the table.

And after being announced as the new head coach on Tuesday night, De Zerbi said: “I am delighted to be joining this great football club, one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world.

“In all our discussions with the club’s leadership, their ambition for the future was clear: to build a team capable of achieving great things, and to deliver 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 do everything I can to achieve it.

“Our short-term priority is to move up the Premier League table and our focus will be fully on that until the final whistle of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.”

The announcement comes after it emerged that De Zerbi’s five-year contract had no relegation release clause, suggesting in May that he would remain in charge even if Spurs were relegated to the Championship.

Spurs sporting director Johan Lange added: “Roberto was our number one target this summer so we’re very happy to be able to bring him in now.”

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

Spurs have sacked three managers since May 2025, with Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank and Tudor all leaving the club. And the Europa League winners will be desperate for De Zerbi to make an immediate impact to avoid a humiliating relegation to the second division.

However, not all Spurs fans are happy with the arrival of De Zerbi, who supported Mason Greenwood at Marseille. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust announced it would not support his appointment following complaints that some fans were threatening to boycott the match.

Greenwood was charged with attempted rape and assault, but all charges were dropped in February 2023. He left Manchester United and restarted his career in Spain, on loan to Getafe, before moving to Marseille shortly after De Zerbi took over as Ligue 1 manager.

“I don’t want to get into anyone’s private life. I don’t want to get into the children’s private life, because I want to give everyone freedom. All I can see is that Mason seems like a good kid. He’s definitely paying the price for what happened,” De Zerbi said while in France.

“He probably found the right environment for him here, which gave him love and support. When you look at him as a person, without going into details, you feel sad about what happened in his life.

“Because the person I know here is very different from the person that has been described, especially in England.” Critics have accused the coach of victimizing Greenwood.