With seven matches remaining to avoid a historic relegation, Tottenham are considering a gamble on the Italian’s high-risk, high-reward philosophy
Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in the grip of an existential crisis, sitting a precarious single point above the Premier League relegation zone as the 2025/26 season enters its final stretch.
The club have reportedly entered advanced negotiations with Roberto De Zerbi to become their third permanent head coach of the campaign.
The vacancy arose following the dismissal of Igor Tudor, whose 44-day tenure yielded just one point from seven matches and left the club’s top-flight status in immediate jeopardy.
While De Zerbi had initially intended to remain unattached until the summer, Monday’s reports from Italy suggest he has performed a dramatic U-turn, showing a new openness to accepting a five-year contract and taking charge before the squad returns from the international break.
The pursuit of De Zerbi would be a radical switch from the pragmatic, defensive approach that Spurs attempted first with Thomas Frank and then with Tudor.
Tottenham officials are hopeful that by securing the 46-year-old before the upcoming trip to Sunderland on April 12, they can spark a psychological reset within a squad that has appeared tactically lost and devoid of confidence.
Roberto De Zerbi tactics
At the heart of the club’s interest is De Zerbi’s revolutionary tactical model, which achieved historic success during his tenure at Brighton.
His system is defined by a high-wire act of baiting the press, where deep-lying defenders and the goalkeeper intentionally invite opposition pressure to create space further up the pitch.
Through short, square passes, his teams manipulate the opponent’s movement, waiting for the precise moment to launch a rapid, vertical transition.
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This bait-and-break sequence is designed to remove multiple opposing players from the game in a single move, reaching the attacking quartet in high-value situations with numerical superiority.
De Zerbi’s model requires absolute bravery in possession, a trait that has been absent from the current Spurs during their winless run in 2026.
Why did Roberto De Zerbi leave Marseille?
While this philosophy earned De Zerbi a reputation as one of Europe’s elite tacticians, his recent departure from Marseille serves as a stark reminder of the system’s volatility.
He left the French club by mutual consent on February 11, in the wake of a humiliating 5-0 Le Classique thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain.
His exit followed a period of intense personal frustration, with De Zerbi admitting to a state of total despair after Marseille’s premature elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Club Brugge.
Reports from France indicated that his relationship with the dressing room had become increasingly strained, as the manager struggled to understand his team’s lack of consistency and competitiveness in big games.
“Olympique de Marseille and Roberto De Zerbi, coach of the first team, have announced the end of their collaboration by mutual agreement,” the Marseille statement read.
“Following discussions between all stakeholders in the club’s management – the owner, president, director of football, and coach – it was decided to make a change at the helm of the first team.
“This was a difficult collective decision, taken after careful consideration in the best interests of the club, in order to respond to the sporting challenges of the end of the season.”