Tottenham midfielder James Maddison has heaped praise on “passionate” boss Roberto De Zerbi after he helped the club avoid “disaster” on the final day of the Premier League season.
Spurs faced a dramatic last day of a dismal campaign and, while relegation rivals West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 on Sunday, Joao Palhinha’s 43rd-minute effort clinched a vital victory over Everton to secure their top-flight status.
De Zerbi took over at the end of March with Tottenham winless in the Premier League in 2026, and they slipped into the bottom three before his debut at Sunderland to further raise alarm bells that a first relegation in 49 years could occur.
Further blows followed with Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons sidelined, but the Italian’s infectious positivity restored belief and rebuilt a connection with a desperate fanbase.
After a 15-match winless league run ended at Wolves, De Zerbi’s final act on Sunday was to inspire Tottenham to a first home victory in the Premier League since December 6 in front of an emotionally-charged crowd in N17.
Maddison, who has missed the majority of this season with a serious knee injury, hailed De Zerbi, saying: “I am really happy for the manager who came in and steered the ship clear because I think without him, it could have been doom and gloom if I am honest.
“He’s so passionate. He’s been living at the training ground with the guys, with his team.
“He’s there at 9pm with all his staff. They’ve got the tactics board up, there’s six of them, they’re just talking, it’s 9pm and we’ve already had four or five meetings on each game. He’s just obsessed with football and he’s passionate.
“When you feel the authenticity of someone who’s passionate for Tottenham, because I am, I love this club and I want this club to be successful so bad, and when you see the man who’s steering the ship, when he’s (that) genuine, and not just saying it for the sake of it, you can tell he means that.
“That’s why he says, ‘I have blood inside me, not water’. He always says that. It’s because he’s genuinely passionate about the club.
“Without that appointment, disaster could have maybe struck, but it didn’t and he takes a lot of credit for that because of the work he’s done behind the scenes and on the training pitch.
“I don’t want to say something ridiculous and give you a massive headline, (but) no Europe, which is not what this club should be at, but it is the reality and it can help which it showed with (Manchester) United this year. So, I’m excited under this manager.”
Conor Gallagher echoed those sentiments and paid tribute to De Zerbi, who showed the £34.7million January signing clips from YouTube to transform the belief of the England midfielder.
“He completely turned around the start of my Spurs career,” Gallagher reflected candidly.
“From the first day or two he had everyone under his wing, you can say.
“Everyone trusted him instantly and everything he was doing, it was like ‘thank God he’s come in’ straight away.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him for what he’s done for the club, for the team and for me individually. I’m looking forward to working with him even more.”
