Roberto De Zerbi is poised to take on the challenge of keeping Tottenham in the Premier League, with discussions between the parties reportedly in advanced stages.
Spurs refocused its attention on De Zerbi following Igor Tudor’s departure on Sunday.
Although the former Brighton manager initially preferred to defer his decision until the summer, he now appears set to reverse course and assume immediate control.
Reports emerging from De Zerbi’s native Italy on Monday morning indicated his willingness to engage with Tottenham’s offer, which includes a five-year contract.
Should he accept, the 46-year-old would become the club’s fourth head coach within a span of just 10 months.
De Zerbi has been a recurring name linked with the Spurs vacancy, first in 2023 and again more recently after Thomas Frank’s exit on 11 February.
However, a sabbatical until the season’s conclusion had been anticipated after his departure from Marseille in the same week.
Tottenham therefore turned to Tudor as interim head coach, but his shambolic 44-day reign produced five defeats in seven matches alongside a catalogue of questionable tactical choices and only increased the realistic threat of a first relegation since 1977.
It forced Spurs into one final roll of the dice and, with fans’ favourite Mauricio Pochettino contracted to lead the United States at this summer’s World Cup, De Zerbi has profited from being the best and most viable candidate currently on the market.
Pochettino was asked on Monday if he had received any contact from Tottenham or Real Madrid, and told a press conference: “We have our full focus here on the World Cup.
“I think everyone knows that I am committed with the national team. I think there’s no a point to talk about the future. At the moment no (team) has approached.”
First-team coach Bruno Saltor was tasked with taking training for the players not on international duty after Spurs moved on from Tudor on Sunday.
However, Tottenham expected a new head coach would be hired by the middle of this week to give them 10 days to prepare for the April 12 trip to Sunderland – and that is set to be De Zerbi.
The anticipated appointment will not be universally popular among Spurs fans, with three supporters groups on Friday having called for De Zerbi not to be hired due to his past comments on Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.
Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach all expressed their concerns with ‘No to De Zerbi’ statements.
Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023, citing “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.
In November, when De Zerbi was Marseille boss, he described Greenwood as a “good guy” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”
