At Tottenham’s training centre, the work is continuing under Bruno Saltor while the club pushes to appoint roberto de zerbi as its third head coach of the season. The urgency is not abstract: Spurs sit 17th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone, with a trip to Sunderland on April 12 looming as the next match on the calendar.
What is happening with Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham right now?
Tottenham Hotspur are pushing to hire Roberto De Zerbi and have offered the Italian a long-term contract and a significant financial package that would make him one of the highest paid managers in the Premier League. There is currently no agreement, but he has emerged as the club’s clear first choice to succeed Igor Tudor, who left by mutual consent on Sunday.
Spurs want a new coach in place in time for the majority of the squad’s return to the training centre after international duty, aiming for the incoming head coach to have around 10 days with the players before the visit to the Stadium of Light.
Why are Spurs changing coaches again, and what are the stakes?
Tudor’s exit ends a short and stark spell: he failed to win any of his five Premier League matches over 44 days in charge after being appointed in February on a deal until the end of the season. He had replaced Thomas Frank, who had only joined the club in the summer.
The bigger picture is the table, not the timeline. Spurs are 17th and could have slipped into the bottom three by the time they next play Sunderland on April 12. The club has not been relegated to the second tier since 1977, and the task for any new appointment is framed in those historical terms: keep Tottenham in the Premier League.
Pressure is also concentrating on the club’s leadership. Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange are being pointed to as the central decision-makers now facing a season-defining call. The risk of getting “the next big decision wrong” has been cast as potentially ending with Spurs in the Championship, a scenario described as leaving a scar on the club’s record.
How do fan concerns and timing complicate the pursuit?
Tottenham’s pursuit is not without complications beyond the absence of a final agreement. De Zerbi is interested in the job, but would prefer to take over in the summer—provided Spurs remain in the Premier League.
There is also public resistance from within the club’s supporter base. Three Spurs fan groups urged Tottenham not to appoint roberto de zerbi, citing his backing for former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood, whom De Zerbi worked with at Marseille.
The Greenwood case has been laid out in legal terms: while playing for Manchester United, Greenwood was arrested on January 31, 2022 on suspicion of rape and assault, and further arrested on February 1, 2022 on suspicion of sexual assault and making threats to kill. He was charged in October with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour, and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, with all three charges relating to the same woman. Greenwood consistently denied wrongdoing, and the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the charges in early February 2023.
In November 2025, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good person” and added: “It saddens me”. The statement has become a focal point in the reaction from some supporters as Spurs weigh the next appointment.
Image caption (alt text): roberto de zerbi
