Tottenham have appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager amid the threat of relegation

The ex-Brighton boss joins days after Igor Tudor (above) was sacked by the north London club

‘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.’

Johan Lange, Tottenham’s sporting director, 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.’

De Zerbi’s first job is to evade relegation from the Premier League, and his first game is against Sunderland on Sunday week.

Spurs head into the final seven games of the season in 17th place, a mere point ahead of West Ham United and two points behind Nottingham Forest, who comprehensively beat them 3-0 prior to the international break.

Minutes after De Zerbi’s appointment was confirmed, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust issued a statement stating it raises ‘serious and far-reaching concerns’ and added it had expressed concerns from fans to the club.

The THST cited De Zerbi’s previous comments about Mason Greenwood, who was signed and played for the Italian during his time at Marseille.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust hit out at the appointment of De Zerbi, citing his previous comments backing Mason Greenwood

Greenwood moved to Marseille in 2024, two years after he was arrested on suspicion of rape, assault, and coercive and controlling behaviour. The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges the following year, citing the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light. He denied all charges.

De Zerbi defended Greenwood following his move and stoked further controversy in November 2025 as Greenwood prepared for his first match on English soil since leaving Man United as a loanee two seasons earlier.

‘He’s a good guy, he paid a heavy price for what happened, a very heavy price,’ De Zerbi said. ‘He has found the right environment for him.

‘We have lent him a hand and given him affection. He’s a little bit introverted but I know him and his family. It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described in England.’

In a statement, the THST said: ‘De Zerbi’s comments about Mason Greenwood were unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of supporters and, without doubt, will have left victims of male violence alarmed.

‘We believe these statements, left unchecked, will create a divide among supporters at a time when we all need to be pulling together to back the team. It is concerning that the Club would put us in this position right when the team needs fans the most.

‘The Club must reassert its commitment to the values that fans hold dear—chief among them equality, respect, and integrity. Any perceived sympathy toward alleged perpetrators of physical or sexual violence against women fundamentally undermines trust in the custodianship of this Club.

‘With this appointment, communications from the Club and from Mr De Zerbi must clearly and unequivocally reaffirm these values. Furthermore, those words must be backed by meaningful action, including visible and sustained support for women’s charities and organisations working to combat violence against women.’

The THST added that its preference would have been for a short-term appointment to lead the fight against relegation, with a view to assessing a wider pool of candidates in the summer.

Supporters groups Women of the Lane, Proud Lilywhites, and Spurs Reach had launched a ‘No to Roberto De Zerbi campaign’ in recent days after Tottenham’s pursuit of the coach emerged.

Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood claimed De Zerbi needs control of football matters having questioned the hierarchy – Pictured: sporting director Johan Lange and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood was among those with concerns over the appointment on Monday, sharing his doubts on whether the combustible Italian is the ‘safe pair of hands’ needed to swerve relegation.

‘For anyone going in now, you have to put a question mark on it because you’ve only got seven games left,’ Sherwood told Sky Sports.

‘I like him, I really do. I like his personality. I said many months ago that he would be the man to come into Tottenham.

‘I would’ve picked him over Mauricio Pochettino for the long term because he plays that style that Tottenham fans want to play. He opens up the pitch, but not now. That style is not needed now, what they need now is a safe pair of hands. This is far from a safe pair of hands.’

Shortly after the appointment was confirmed, Sherwood reacted to the news on social media platform Peek, wishing luck to the Italian.

He said: ‘I’ve seen head coach mentioned and I’ve seen manager. He has to be the manager. You have to control the footballing side.

‘You cannot trust the people who are there at the moment to do the recruitment or anything regarding the footballing side. You have to do it yourself. Good luck mate.’

And club legend Glenn Hoddle, talking about de Zerbi’s appointment on Peek, said: ‘Another foreign manager but at least he knows the Premier League.

‘A five-year contract, I scratch my head a bit about that. I don’t think he’s ever stayed longer than 18 months at a club but Spurs are obviously trying to make a project of it. I’m not concerned so much with that – right now it’s about getting points on the board. It’s all about finding some togetherness.

‘He might have to change his personality a little bit at first as I think they need a little arm round some of them.

‘I just hope he can hit the road running. I’m not too bothered how they play, that’s for pre-season and next season, the most important thing is being in the Premier League.

‘I think they have to be tight, they have to be tough, and tough to play against. They’ve been too easy to score against. It needs slightly different tactics to what he is used to as he likes to play an open game. Whether he’s that kind of coach we’ll have to see but the most important thing is we all get behind him.’