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De Zerbi agrees to take on Tottenham survival mission
AP • April 1st, 2026 7:45 am
Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi has finalised a deal to take charge at troubled Tottenham | Photo: AP
Roberto De Zerbi has been confirmed as struggling Tottenham's new head coach on a five-year deal, but no relegation release clause has been included in his contract.
Spurs parted company with Igor Tudor on Sunday afternoon after five defeats in seven matches during a shambolic 44-day reign and immediately set their sights on trying to lure top summer target De Zerbi to join before the end of the season.
After days of negotiations, given De Zerbi's initial preference to assess his options in the summer, the 46-year-old accepted Tottenham's proposal despite relegation being a realistic prospect with seven matches of a wretched EPL campaign left.
It means De Zerbi will be in charge for Tottenham's fight against what would be a humiliating demotion from the EPL, which resumes with a trip to Sunderland on April 12.
De Zerbi's first home match will be against one of his former clubs, Brighton, on April 18. Spurs currently stand one place and one point above the relegation zone. Spurs last suffered relegation in 1977.
De Zerbi said: "In all my discussions with the club's leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing 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 give everything to deliver it. Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season."
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be hosting second-tier Championship football next season | Photo: EPA
Spurs sporting director Johan Lange said in a club statement: "He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football, and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League."
De Zerbi's arrival will not be universally welcomed among the Spurs fanbase after three supporter groups urged the north London club to not appointment him due to a previous association with Mason Greenwood at Marseille.
Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach all expressed their concerns with 'No to De Zerbi' statements.
Former Manchester United forward 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 owing to "a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light", which meant there was "no realistic prospect of conviction". Greenwood has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.
In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a "good guy" who had paid a "heavy price" and added: "It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described."
