Roberto de Zerbi has been appointed as Tottenham’s third manager this season, with Spurs parting ways with interim manager Igor Tudor at the weekend after just seven games.
Roberto de Zerbi has taken the Tottenham job (Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Tottenham have announced the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager. De Zerbi, 46, has signed a five-year deal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is tasked with remaining in the Premier League.
Spurs are languishing in 17th place in the table with just one point and are above the relegation zone with seven games remaining. A crushing 3-0 defeat at home to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest ended Igor Tudor’s reign as caretaker manager after just 44 days.
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 make it happen.
“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 look forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.”
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Spurs sporting director Johan Lange said: “Roberto was our number one target in the summer and we are very pleased to now be able to bring him on board. He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football and brings a wealth of experience at the highest levels, including the Premier League.”
Tudor’s departure was announced on Sunday and Tottenham moved quickly to sign De Zerbi. The Italian established himself in the Premier League with Brighton, spending almost two seasons there, achieving the club’s highest ever finish in the top flight and qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
De Zerbi left Brighton in 2024 and took charge of French powerhouse Marseille before parting ways with the team in February. The former Shakhtar Donetsk and Sassuolo manager was quickly tipped as a target for Manchester United’s vacant full-time managerial post.
Roberto de Zerbi made history at Brighton (Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
However, Tottenham were able to persuade De Zerbi to save the day. The 46-year-old initially wanted to wait until the summer to take over, but negotiations with the Spurs hierarchy reversed course.
De Zerbi becomes the fourth manager in less than a year, with Thomas Frank replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer. Frank arrived with a stellar reputation from his time at Brentford, but that only lasted eight months.
Tottenham are yet to win in the 2026 Premier League and will not return to action away to Sunderland until April 12. Although Tudor recorded a win in the Champions League, they only picked up one point from their five games in the top flight.
Can Roberto De Zerbi keep Tottenham? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.
De Zerbi’s appointment has already been the subject of backlash. Last week, three supporters’ organizations issued a statement calling on the club not to hire him because of his comments about Mason Greenwood.
Shortly after joining Marseille, De Zerbi signed the controversial former England forward, but he was sold to Man United in 2024 after charges including attempted rape and assault were dropped. He described Greenwood as “a ‘good man’ who paid a great price.”
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