Official: Tottenham appoint Roberto de Zerbi as head coach

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Suraj Radia | Editor

Tottenham have announced the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their third head coach of the season.

De Zerbi has come in to replace Igor Tudor, who left Spurs last week after just 44 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, but the Italian was convinced to take the role now after being presented with a lucrative long-term deal.

The final details, of course, have not been disclosed, but it is believed that De Zerbi is now the third-highest-paid manager in the Premier League after Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.

Tottenham have yet to announce the Italian's backroom staff, but former Milan defender Alessandro Nesta is reportedly set to take over as assistant coach.

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.

There were still doubts from De Zerbi over whether he wanted to take the role, but 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 who they are hoping to keep hold of for five years and who was the unanimous choice of the board.

According to Ben Jacobs, De Zerbi's contract does not contain a relegation release clause, but he will have to take a pay cut if he fails to keep the North London club in the Premier League.

"I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world," De Zerbi said.

"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."

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