Tottenham 'reach agreement' to appoint De Zerbi as new manager

Suraj Radia

Updated: 31 Mar 2026 13:38 BST
4 min read

Tottenham have reached an agreement in principle to appoint Roberto De Zerbi as their third manager of the season.

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De Zerbi is set to come in to replace Igor Tudor, who left Spurs last week after just 43 days in charge due to his father passing away.

Spurs picked up just one point in Tudor’s five Premier League games in charge and they sit 17th in the table with seven games remaining, putting the club in huge danger of relegation.

De Zerbi left Marseille in February and had initially been reluctant to take a job before the end of the season, particularly with Tottenham battling the drop, however the Italian has been convinced of the role now, according to reporter Gianluca Di Marzio.

The final details are still to be ironed out but it is believed that De Zerbi will become the third-highest-paid manager in the Premier League after Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta and will pen a long-term contract.

Talks over De Zerbi’s backroom staff have already been discussed, with former Milan defender Alessandro Nesta set to take over as assistant coach and Tottenham are hoping to wrap up the deal in the coming days before their squad returns to training from international duty.

Tottenham hoping to keep De Zerbi for long term after prolonged interest

De Zerbi had been considered as a target prior to Tudor’s appointment but, having only just left Marseille at the time, the former Brighton coach refused talks in order to take a break from football.

© IMAGO - Roberto De Zerbi had been in charge at Marseille until February.

There were still doubts from De Zerbi over whether he wanted to take the role but it is believed that the situation changed largely because of Tottenham’s strong push and desire to appoint the 46-year-old.

Spurs had told De Zerbi they want him as a coach for the long-term and are not seeking an interim – they wanted a permanent manager and they wanted it to be him.

Tottenham now believe they are in a strong position to avoid relegation and rebuild under a new coach whom they are hoping to keep hold of for five years and whom was the unianmous choice of the board.

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