Roberto De Zerbi: Tottenham close to announcing ex-Brighton boss as their new head coach

Tottenham are set to appoint Roberto De Zerbi as their next permanent head coach.

De Zerbi has agreed terms over a five-year contract with Spurs, currently one point above the Premier League's bottom three, which does not include a relegation release clause.

Spurs, who are turning to their third head coach of the season, are fighting to avoid a first top-flight relegation since 1977 in the final seven games of the season.

Travel plans are being arranged for De Zerbi, whose first game in charge is not until Sunday April 12 when Spurs go to Sunderland, live on Sky Sports.

De Zerbi will retain Bruno Saltor, the assistant of his predcessor Igor Tudor, on his coaching staff in north London. Tudor left Spurs after a disastrous 44-day spell in which he failed to win a single Premier League game.

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It is understood De Zerbi is the unanimous choice at board and ownership level, with Spurs' executive team convinced he has the necessary credentials to make an instant impact.

Spurs pushed hard to convince De Zerbi to take over before the summer, after the Italian had previously indicated he wanted to take a break when he left Marseille in February.

Several Spurs fan groups have urged the club to rethink appointing De Zerbi over his backing of Mason Greenwood when he was Marseille boss.

Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood, who has repeatedly put his name in the frame to take over, told Sky Sports that De Zerbi is the perfect choice long-term - but only if he can keep Spurs in the Premier League.

"I love his personality and the way his teams play," said the Sky Sports pundit. "But they can be open and can get hammered in some games - you can't get hammered between now and the end of the season.

"[De Zerbi] wanted to have a break after Marseille in February, but why didn't [Spurs] bring him in then? Why didn't they bring him in before Igor Tudor? You'd have given him another seven games to go at, then I would've had total confidence that he would keep them in the league."

How De Zerbi plans to keep Spurs up…

Sky Sports News chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:

Roberto De Zerbi is up for the challenge.

Spurs have seven games to avoid their first relegation since 1977, and he feels it is a massive responsibility to ensure their ever-present Premier League status is preserved.

Sitting just a point above the drop zone, everybody at Tottenham recognises the perilous position they are in.

De Zerbi has made it clear that the sole goal right now is to channel resources into making sure the club stays up. Everything else - building for the long term and restoring Tottenham to the top end of the Premier League - will come later.

The Italian is not buying into the talk that a rebuild and wholesale changes are needed. He is well aware of the strengths of the current squad and believes it needs consistency, a firm goal and a clear path to get out of danger.

Much has been made of De Zerbi's expansive approach, which his former Brighton captain Lewis Dunk said "baffled" the players when he arrived at the club in September 2022.

But it is understood that with Spurs' current predicament, he will not overcomplicate it for the players, instead simplifying the game and tactics in order to maximise returns in the short term.

The 46-year-old believes so many changes before him at Spurs have affected the players, and now it is about fighting for a common cause.

There have also been question marks over his combustibility, considering his exits at Brighton and Marseille after he fell out with the hierarchies.

For De Zerbi, it is a sign of his passion for the job - he makes huge demands of himself, his players, sporting directors and senior executives. He believes challenging each other is the best way to improve and to get the best from everyone.

De Zerbi's imminent appointment has faced concerns from several Spurs fan groups after he backed Mason Greenwood when he was Marseille boss.

It is understood that he expects questions about this when he is presented to the media for the first time.

But ultimately, De Zerbi wants a strong relationship with fans, as he has done at all previous clubs, to help prevent Spurs from dropping into the Championship.

De Zerbi's main task? Start winning and keep Spurs in the Premier League

Sky Sports News reporter Michael Bridge:

"There is no real long term if he can't succeed in the short term. Forget about, for now, putting Tottenham back into the European positions - they've been in Europe about 17, 18 times in the last 20-odd years. That's quite an impressive feat if you think about the amount of big clubs who aren't in Europe.

"Manchester United aren't in Europe currently, but he has to keep this club in the Premier League. It's serious now. He's got a decent squad. He's got a lot of injuries. It's not the squad of the [Mauricio] Pochettino era.

"It's not even the squad from the [Antonio] Conte era. He doesn't have [Harry] Kane, he doesn't have [Heung-Min] Son, but he still has players that should not be anywhere near the bottom three.

"And if he does get the job, his first job will be at Sunderland and they could well be in the bottom three when he takes that team to the Stadium of Light.

"Keep it simple - he talks about it takes him weeks on end to get his philosophy over, his style of play over. He's an experienced manager. He's been a Premier League manager. He knows exactly what it's like to go to Sunderland away and his first home game will be against, would you believe it, Brighton.

"He knows them pretty well too. It sounds simple but just start winning - and make Tottenham great again."

Analysis: Maverick De Zerbi offers hope that Spurs need

Sky Sports' Adam Bate:

It is the final roll of the dice. De Zerbi or bust for Tottenham. To dare is to do. Is this combustible character the galvanising motivator that this situation demands? Perhaps not. But it is an appointment that intrigues, excites and - importantly - offers hope.

Igor Tudor was a pragmatist on paper who proved anything but on the pitch. De Zerbi at least brings Premier League experience and the prospect of transforming the club's fortunes in the short and long term. If he can keep Spurs up, it could be a turning point.

For good and for bad, his reputation precedes him. An innovator in terms of how the game is played, his name was the most frequently mentioned when this journalist was working on a project about the future of football tactics a couple of summers ago.

Coach after coach who was consulted for that project cited De Zerbi as an inspiration. "He is producing something that is maybe unique in football right now," said one. "He has probably given Pep Guardiola his biggest headache," added another.

Why? "The distances, the positions, the body shape, the intentions that each player has in possession." These ideas still feel progressive. "How you control the rhythm and progress through space will be big in the future." His teams tend to be at the vanguard.

And yet, while Marseille are a hugely supported club with a proud history, there is a reason why De Zerbi did not land a bigger job after leaving Brighton. While his predecessor was handed the keys to Chelsea, something held Europe's giants back.

A brand of football not necessarily proven to deliver the top trophies was one aspect but De Zerbi's nature - the ability to manage up and down - was the more significant factor. Could he fit in? Nothing that he did at Marseille will have assuaged those concerns.

There were the intermittent threats to quit, accusing his players of humiliating him with their performance as early as November of his first season. By April, there were reports that he had refused to train the team with the players going above him to complain.

Players were scrapping in training in August - Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe both being moved on. Marseille is a difficult club for anyone to manage but De Zerbi, 46, was often perceived to have inflamed things rather than being a calming influence.

Will Spurs fans be worried by any of this? Not really. They are desperate for anyone who can provide the club with a lift. It is in their hands, of course. And yet, they are vulnerable. Should West Ham go on any kind of run, it could prove too much for them.

If that is the case, a summer of recriminations awaits. Some supporters would have preferred De Zerbi last summer and many more will lament that they had to endure seven games of Tudor before turning to him now. This final roll of the dice has to work.

Is De Zerbi a good mid-season appointment?

Tottenham, who currently sit one point above the relegation zone, are in need of a head coach who can deliver instant results with just seven games left to secure their survival.

De Zerbi has established himself as a coach who instils a possession-based philosophy, creating teams that are praised for their attractive style of football.

However, the Italian's start at Brighton when he took over mid-season in 2022 following Graham Potter's departure would suggest he might struggle to have the required impact.

De Zerbi failed to win any of his first five Premier League games in charge of Brighton, drawing twice and losing three games, albeit facing a tough schedule.

When taking over at Serie A newcomers Benevento mid-season in 2017, De Zerbi's side were praised for the football they played, but were relegated from Italy's top flight.

De Zerbi failed to win any of his first nine games in charge of Benevento.

The Italian also struggled when taking over Palermo mid-season in 2016, winning just one of his 13 games before being sacked less than three months into the job.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Roberto De Zerbi: Tottenham close to announcing ex-Brighton boss as their new head coach