Tottenham Hotspur

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Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson says new head coach Roberto de Zerbi's football over the next seven games "might not be pretty" but then "he can only improve".

"It's a good appointment for Tottenham," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"He's a manager who doesn't care what people think. He's his own man and he's always delivered under pressure.

"The only problems he's had are when the ownership and director of football are pulled in a different direction - then the project for him unravels very quickly.

"When you look at the job he did at Marseille, the city was very much behind him but the decision-making at the top was not and maybe he was guilty of changing systems and personnel too much towards the end of his tenure.

"His initial remit at Tottenham is to keep them in the Premier League. He can't go in there and change the dressing room. He can't change the players. He's very intelligent with his football knowledge and he will know he's got to go in there and make friends.

"He's got to make every player play for him, every player like him, and come together as a team to get results. Then, at the end of the season, he can be ruthless as he will have assessed the club and the squad himself already.

"He'll know exactly what he wants to do in the summer, but in the short term it might not be pretty. He might go against his style. In the long term he'll play open, expansive, high-pressing football, but for now it might be kicking it long and putting it in the corners.

"It's just about getting through and starting again next season as a Premier League club.

"Tottenham finished 17th last year and are fighting relegation this year. If they stay up, he can only improve. It's a great project at a fantastic club for him to improve."

Listen to the episode in full on BBC Sounds

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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It's a five-year deal for Roberto de Zerbi but the most pertinent piece of information is that there isn't a relegation release clause.

Given the situation Tottenham are in at the moment, one point and one place away the relegation zone, that's quite an important piece of detail.

From what I understand, De Zerbi is backing himself to keep the club up - but also, if the unthinkable does happen, he is all in to rebuild the team in the Championship.

Credit to him. He's got a big seven games ahead but he's in it for the long haul.

There is an understanding that what happens in the next seven games won't necessarily be De Zerbi's long-term body of work at Tottenham.

At the moment, it's needs must and there's not going to be the time to fit those tactical structures into his team. They need results and they need them immediately.

It's a case, for De Zerbi, of simply putting his arm around players and telling them they are actually good, international footballers and should not be in 17th place.

If he can get on the right side of them straight away and have them running through brick walls for him, then I think he's on to a winner because it's a great club and a global brand.

If he can get it right, then the sky is the limit.

Listen to the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Matt Spiro
French football expert

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Marseille fans felt both relief and regret when Roberto de Zerbi left midway through his second season.

Relief because the final weeks were desperately poor, but regret too because De Zerbi - a former ultra with immense passion - looked at times a perfect fit for the Mediterranean club.

His first year was promising: Marseille finished as runners-up and returned to the Champions League. A raft of new signings raised hopes, especially after a first home win over Paris St-Germain in 14 years and a six-goal rout of Le Havre sent them top.

Yet there was always a sense Marseille were just a couple of defeats from crisis. The squad almost imploded when Jonathan Rowe and Adrien Rabiot clashed in the dressing room, and De Zerbi's uncompromising style alienated certain players.

He infuriated observers by constantly changing systems and selections, leaving players bamboozled.

For the most part, De Zerbi lined up in a 4-2-3-1 and fans occasionally saw glimpses of the front-footed, attacking style he wanted to implement.

Yet Marseille's midfield pairing - usually Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Geoffrey Kondogbia - lacked the technical skills and mobility to perform in that system against stronger opposition. The defence would be left exposed, while the attack relied too heavily on individual exploits from Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

When a flagging Marseille crashed out of the Champions League, losing 3-0 to Club Brugge, reports emerged De Zerbi had lost the dressing room. A pitiful 5-0 defeat at PSG - the heaviest in Classique history - made his exit inevitable.

De Zerbi left with the highest win percentage of any Marseille coach this century (57%). That Igor Tudor (56%) ranks second suggests Spurs fans should treat that statistic with caution.

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Here are some more of your comments on Tottenham naming Roberto de Zerbi as their new head coach.

Bob: How many times have we fans heard that "Spurs only ever had one target in mind"? For once, this appears to be the right appointment for either scenario. If he keeps us up then that exceeds expectations. If we get relegated then he is the man to get us promoted quickly. But the biggest issue is going to be money. Will ENIC continue to put profit before the team? Hopefully it has learned a painful lesson. A successful Spurs side is profitable - a poor side is not.

Mark: I respect that he might be the right person from a footballing perspective from who is available now. I am hesitant, though, because off the pitch he is a very divisive character. All in all, I'd be surprised if he's still here for summer 2027.

David: Not what we need at the moment! Likes to play out from the back too much and this team can't.

Nick: I don't think he's the best manager in the world, nor one of the best in the Premier League. But if De Zerbi keeps us up and gets us better results, he'll be worth it. Can't see him lasting five years though...

Pete: I hope he can turn things around in seven games but it is a huge ask. As a Spurs fan of 60-plus years, I am worried, given that he didn't win any of his first five games at Brighton, till his system set in. We need it to click straight away.

Paul: Provided we stay up, next season should be exciting with a nucleus of good young players like Mikey Moore, Luka Vuskovic, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Alfie Devine for De Zerbi to work with. However, if we get relegated we may need to sell some of them for financial reasons. The next seven games will dictate our prospects for the next seven years.

Chris: He has experience at the top level and we are desperate. What is more important is whether the present team have the character and fight to get themselves out of this. I was at the Forest game and the second half was a complete capitulation.

Hardcastlehotspur: Does De Zerbi have the knowledge and skill? Yes. Does he have a good record of taking on teams in our position? No. We should have opted for an ex-Spur in the interim and then brought Mauricio Pochettino back for next season.

Guillem Balague
BBC Sport columnist

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It is well documented that Roberto de Zerbi's footballing DNA traces back to the Pep Guardiola tradition, but to leave it there would be restrictive. He has taken the principles - positional play, pressing triggers, control through the ball - and built his own beliefs around them.

There are a number of reasons why this appointment could work.

First, De Zerbi doesn't care what people think. He has a clear, unshakeable idea of how he wants to play football and at a club as chaotic as Tottenham right now, that kind of certainty is invaluable.

He has also never managed a club with no expectations and has always delivered under pressure. He knows what it means to have concrete targets and he knows how to meet them.

He brings the added benefit of knowing the Premier League and the timing of the likely appointment gives him scope for preparation. Spurs don't play again until 12 April and that gives him precious time to assess his squad.

Arriving during the international break gives De Zerbi precious days to begin assessing his squad.

The big concern here, though, is less about De Zerbi himself and more about whether those around him will have the discipline to align with his vision.

When that alignment has broken down in De Zerbi's career - when ownership or a director of football has pulled in a different direction - the project has quickly unravelled.

That is precisely what happened at Marseille. The football was often compelling, the city was behind him, but at decision-making level the relationship could not be sustained.

Tottenham have had their own well-documented structural difficulties. If De Zerbi is to thrive, the football operations around him must be stable, communicative and genuinely aligned to his way of working.

That is not a small ask for a club in the midst of a relegation battle.

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

This is not the first time Tottenham have faced major opposition to a managerial appointment.

In June 2021, following the departure of Jose Mourinho, Spurs were linked with Gennaro Gattuso.

Some fans on social media referenced controversial comments the former Italy midfielder had previously made on subjects such as same sex marriage, external, and women in football.

A #NoToGattuso hashtag began trending on Twitter, and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust raised the issue with the club.

Tottenham backed away and said Gattuso was not being considered as a candidate.

There are parallels with Roberto de Zerbi.

Trust secretary Tristan Foot told BBC Sport that it had taken on board complaints from supporters about the Italian and had been in touch with the club.

"We had an emergency meeting last night," Foot said on Tuesday. "That resulted in us writing to the chief executive and echoing those concerns and inviting them to reflect on the club's values."

Club sources told BBC Sport that De Zerbi's comments on Mason Greenwood had been considered as part of the process to appoint him and had formed part of discussions.

Women of the Lane is one of a number of official Spurs fans' group to have voiced concerns across social media in recent days.

It was joined by Proud Lillywhites - the LGBTQI+ Supporters' Association, and SpursREACH, which promotes the values of fans from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds.

Ali Speechly, who helped to create Women of the Lane two years ago, said the appointment brought into question the values and integrity of the club.

"He hired him [Greenwood] as a player and then continued to publicly back him and support him, sympathise with him," Speechly said.

"For me, that's just unforgivable. I think that speaks to the character of De Zerbi. I don't want him anywhere near my football club.

"This is about how we feel, this is about values, this is about integrity and, ultimately, it's about safety. It's about women feeling that they are safe around other men.

"Actions speak louder than words. In terms of my relationship [with [the club], it's massively impacted it.

"I don't have any intention now of going to the stadium."

The trust issued a statement, external after De Zerbi's appointment, stating his comments were "unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of supporters".

"It is concerning that the club would put us in this position right when the team needs fans the most," it added.

"The club must reassert its commitment to the values that fans hold dear - chief among them equality, respect and integrity.

"Our preference would have been for a short-term appointment of an individual or individuals who understand the club."

Tottenham Hotspur have been approached for comment.

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Roberto de Zerbi was overwhelmingly Tottenham's number-one choice for the head coach position.

The attraction to the Italian was based on his prior Premier League experience, his tactical acumen and the his reputation for playing attacking football.

Spurs tried to bring him in after Thomas Frank left, but it was deemed too soon given he left Marseille on the same day.

De Zerbi was viewed as the best option for the long term and allows the club to plan for the summer transfer window, and he has time to experience working with the current options.

He was also viewed as the best option for the short term with no other highly credible coach on the market now.

There was also a view taken that it was best for players not to have another interim.

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We asked for your views on the appointment of Roberto de Zerbi as Tottenham boss on a five-year contract.

Here are some of your comments:

Mark: We're desperate. It's a gamble based on his starts at previous clubs, but it's last-chance saloon. I can't suggest a better option given the circumstances as to who's available right now.

Tom: It's one blunder after another. I didn't think Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor were good fits, and now we have De Zerbi, who has no connection with the club, never had to avoid the drop, will hate our recruitment strategy and already has negative press coverage. It's mild insanity. I guess I still hope it'll work out...

PrestonSpur: A really disappointing appointment. That firecracker personality is the last thing a club in turmoil needs. Stability, consistency and a club-first mentality were top of the requirements. A talented firebrand is the wrong manager type for this club right now.

Dave: De Zerbi was the best available option to Spurs. I'm surprised he was willing to risk his reputation on this mess of a club. Spurs must have thrown a lot money at him. I doubt he'll last even a year with this board as he's a fiery character. Bit concerned as he lost his first 5 at Brighton, but I'm crossing everything that he can perform a miracle!

Den: Another big mistake by the board. Should have gone with someone who knows the club, the history, the pride. I think he's accepted because he knows he won't last, and will expect a big pay-off.

Max: Putting aside for one second his support for Mason Greenwood, De Zerbi was a bad option before he went to Marseille, and an even worse option than Frank. Now with his manner of exit from Marseille, he's an even worse option still. What the players and fans need is someone relatable and likeable who they can respect. De Zerbi is none of those things.

Henry: I like De Zerbi. I don't get all the criticism. I think he will be the man (hopefully) to keep us up.

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Roberto de Zerbi says climbing away from the relegation zone is "the complete focus" between now and the end of the season after signing five-year contract to become Tottenham's head coach.

"I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world," De Zerbi told the club's official website., external.

"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. I'm looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that."

Sporting director Johan Lange added: "Roberto was our number-one target for the summer and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.

"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."

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Roberto de Zerbi already has a managerial CV spanning eight different teams, despite being just 46 years of age.

After retiring from playing in 2013, De Zerbi immediately went into management with lower league Italian side Darfo Boario.

From there, he jumped around several Italian clubs before earning his first major move, to Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.

He won the Ukrainian Super Cup in his first season and led them to the top of the league before leaving the club in July 2022 before the conclusion of the campaign as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In September 2022, he succeed Graham Potter as manager of Brighton and led the club to the FA Cup semi-finals in his first season, along with a sixth-place finish in the Premier League - securing European football for the first time in the club's history.

His most recent managerial spell came in France with Ligue 1 side Marseille. He led the club to a second-place finish in his first season behind champions Paris St-Germain.

De Zerbi left in February following the team's exit from the Champions League. They were fourth in Ligue 1 at the time.

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Roberto de Zerbi will only have one priority when he takes over at Tottenham Hotspur: keeping them in the Premier League.

The peril of Spurs' position was why the highly regarded Italian was initially reluctant to take over so late in the season, with the club's future still uncertain as they contemplate the real possibility of dropping into the Championship.

How would De Zerbi view his future if Spurs do not escape? It would not be down to him, but he certainly does not regard himself as a coach who operates in the second tier.

Given Spurs' status and ambitions, relegation is as unpalatable as it gets. Championship football at the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be nothing short of total humiliation.

De Zerbi's firecracker personality, as well as an ability as a coach that has won him widespread admiration from peers such as Pep Guardiola, must inject life into a squad decimated by injuries and stripped of every vestige of confidence.

He has to turn losers into winners. Instantly.

And he has to start at Sunderland in Spurs' next Premier League game.

De Zerbi is fiercely competitive and must transmit that into his players; easier said than done given the timid, defeatist nature of their performances this season.

He would have preferred to start afresh next season - and maybe somewhere else if Spurs are a Championship club - but he is confident, talented and brimming with self-belief.

Have your say on Spurs' move for De Zerbi here

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So, it looks like Spurs have got their man.

Roberto de Zerbi will join on a five-year deal and succeed Igor Tudor, who lasted just 44 days in the post before his spell was mutually ended.

After sources initially said the former Brighton manager had preferred to wait until the end of the season, he was convinced to take charge immediately.

The Italian has seven games to save the club from relegation to the Championship. If they do go down, he does not have a relegation clause that would allow him to walk away.

However, opposition is growing among official Tottenham supporters' groups to De Zerbi being named manager because of his support of Mason Greenwood during his time at Marseille.

Given the circumstances and options available, do you think De Zerbi is the right move? If not, who would you have gone for? And will he keep Spurs up?

Send us your views here

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BBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel discusses how Tottenham have convinced Roberto de Zerbi to take charge immediately rather than waiting until the end of the season.

"Tottenham don't want to make another interim appointment," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club

"With this appointment they want this manager for the next five years, that's why they are offering him a long-term contract. It could be financial, it could be that he backs himself to keep them up and to hit the ground running next season.

"The prospect of De Zerbi managing in the Championship seems strange to me. There would have to be conversations at the end of the season if they go down."

Listen now on BBC Sounds - or watch the video below

Former England captain Steph Houghton and ex-Wales skipper Ashley Williams discuss how quickly Roberto de Zerbi's impact could be seen at Tottenham on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"Results show Spurs are in a mess," said Houghton.

"They should have brought De Zerbi in back in February and given him the time. He's going to be asking the players to do things they are not used to. They probably don't know if they're coming and going after going from [Ange] Postecoglou, to [Thomas] Frank, to [Igor] Tudor and now to something completely new again.

"They have seven games to stay up and they are the team not in form."

Williams added: "He's the type of manager who is very meticulous, very detailed.

"He builds for the future but he's got so little time. I'm not sure how these next seven games will go."

Listen in full on BBC Sounds

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The panel on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club took a detailed look at the timeline of things going wrong for Tottenham, from Maurcio Pochettino to where to club find themselves today.

"They have tried to crowbar managers with these reputations in," said former Premier League striker Chris Sutton.

"None of them have been the right fit and it has led to this situation where it is absolutely desperate for them.

"There's no joined-up thinking which seems to be the biggest problem at Tottenham."

Listen in full on BBC Sounds - and watch the debate below

French football journalist Julien Laurens has broken down Roberto de Zerbi's eventful 18 months as Marseille boss after it was confirmed the Italian is in advanced talks to take over as the new Tottenham boss.

"The environment in Marseille, the passion and craziness for the football team, is probably a little bit different but you know he's very intense," Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"A lot of is it chaos - he's not easy to work with or manage. That in itself, considering it's Spurs and everything that's going on, is going to be interesting. I think it was too intense for him in Marseille, there won't be that much at Spurs.

"He's not a Championship manager, he will not stay if they go down. I have been told there is a break clause if they go down."

Laurens analyses De Zerbi's tactical approach and how it could be vulnerable back in the Premier League with Spurs.

"There were players in Marseille who didn't understand what he wanted them to do. It's quite a complicated system and style," he added.

"The other thing is the other Ligue 1 managers did their homework, especially after this first season and began to hit them on transition a lot."

Listen in full on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your views on who should be the next person to take charge of Tottenham Hotspur following Igor Tudor's departure on Sunday.

Here are some of your comments:

Eddie: [Glenn] Hoddle and Harry [Redknapp] together just for the next seven games. Spurs means something special to them both, players will respect them, fans will love them. If we can lift the players and get the best from them then we have a chance of staying up and that has to be our focus.

Robert: I would think Ben Davies assisted/mentored by Glenn Hoddle and/or Chris Hughton.

Nikhil: De Zerbi if willing. It's a no-brainer, immediate bounce and a couple of wins would change the confidence levels! If not, Robbie Keane would be a great motivator, akin to Michael Carrick at Manchester United. Read somewhere about Ben Davies... hmmm...

Richard A: The next Tottenham Hotspur manager has to be Mauricio Pochettino, the best Spurs manager since Keith Burkinshaw.

Paul: Why not give Ryan Mason a go, he might 'do a Carrick'.

Richard C: Sean Dyche is the right type of character with his first-class assistants for the job of saving Spurs. If he got the job, the vast majority of real fans would be very happy.

Ray: I'm not really enamoured about any of the names put forward. Poch would be my choice - he would get the fans on board straight away and that's really important and I think the players would respond too. Problem is he isn't available until after the World Cup. Lost valuable time in appointing Tudor - a huge gamble that has misfired. May be too late for us to salvage the situation.

Katharine Sharpe
BBC Sport journalist

When it comes to overall win rate in all competitions, Igor Tudor is bottom of the pile for all managers since 2014 at just 14.3%.

Seven games is not a long period of time for a manager to make his mark, but Ryan Mason was in charge for one spell of seven and another for six games, and achieved win percentages of 57.1% and 33.3% respectively.

Mauricio Pochettino had the best win rate of recent long-term managers, with 54.3%.

Comparing average points won per game in the Premier League again sees Tudor at the bottom and Mason at the top of recent records, with both in charge for similar periods of time.

Tudor's average of 0.2 points per game is 10 times fewer than Mason's average over a similar number of Premier League games in charge.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brad Friedel, speaking to the BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast about Spurs' position in the Premier League: "I don't think there's any possible way they would be in this situation if [former executive chairman] Daniel Levy was still holding on the purse strings.

"I was at the club, I negotiated my contracts with Daniel and I know how he operates.

"I think the criticism of Daniel was maybe he wouldn't take the risks associated to getting to first or second in the Premier League - but that's tough, it's really difficult to break into the wage structures of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City.

"He had one foot in the door in that; the revenue brought in, the stadium, the training facility. Looking back, maybe he should have kept Mauricio [Pochettino, in 2019] because they had a really good relationship working together.

"It's really hard to run a football club and get every single decision right. My point is they wouldn't be a point above relegation right now [if Levy was still at the club].

"If they were mid-table, Daniel Levy would be getting screamed at and the fans would be livid, don't get me wrong. But they would not be fighting off relegation."

Listen to a Spurs special of the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

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After 10:00 BST, there will be a special phone-in on BBC Radio 5 Live about the current situation at Tottenham, with former Spurs captain Gary Mabbutt among the guests.

Listen live on BBC Sounds here