Can De Zerbi save Spurs? The evidence is worrying

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 30 Mar 2026 08:07 CDT
• 6 min read

News

Tottenham have acted quickly to replace the sacked Igor Tudor, with Roberto De Zerbi poised to step in to try to salvage their Premier League lives.

Spurs sit just one place and one point outside the relegation zone with seven matches of the season remaining, and according to The Athletic, the London club are “pushing hard” for the imminent arrival of the Italian.

No agreement is in place yet, but he an increasingly hot favourite to take the job.

Without a Premier League win in 2026, having gone 13 games without victory since overcoming Crystal Palace 1-0 on 28 December, De Zerbi would inherit a team with no positive momentum and in the grip of a generational crisis.

The last time Tottenham were relegated was the 1976/77 season, and the Italian's first job at the North London club would be to ensure that Spurs stretch this record to half a century.

He would arrive having already been sacked by Marseille earlier this season, but with a big Premier League reputation after his exploits at Brighton. So is he the man to save Spurs?

Postecoglou hints at De Zerbi problem

De Zerbi is well established as a ‘system manager’. He places a premium on his philosophy and tactical approach, which matches the attractive, attacking game that Tottenham traditionally like to play.

Relegation battles are usually, however, won by grit and a strong mentality - two attributes that have been sorely lacking from Tottenham’s play.

While Spurs will be hoping for the cliched ‘new manager bounce’, the evidence in the Premier League is that this can be difficult to find for managers who so rigidly stick to tight tactical principles.

Ange Postecoglou, for example, flopped dramatically at Nottingham Forest this season. He was sacked after only eight games, having been parachuted in to replace Nuno Espirito Santo in September.

“Jumping in mid-season, especially in the Premier League but in most leagues, is just probably too much of a challenge for the way I do things,” former Spurs boss Postecoglou told the Glasgow Times on his experience at Forest.

At Manchester United, Ruben Amorim was given a year before the Red Devils gave up on him. The Portuguese manager led United to their worst season in Premier League history and only made Erik ten Hag’s mess worse.

There is surely a danger of a boss like De Zerbi experiencing similar difficulties, particularly in the pressure cooker atmosphere of a relegation battle.

How did De Zerbi settle at Brighton?

De Zerbi, at least, has experience of this type of scenario. He was appointed as Brighton boss early in the 2022/23 season following the departure of Graham Potter and his coaching staff to Chelsea.

The early weeks of his reign were extremely difficult. Although he opened with a decent 3-3 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, he would fail to win any of his first five Premier League matches in charge with the south coast side.

A similar run of form at Tottenham would likely be fatal to the club’s survival hopes.

What’s he like in a crisis?

De Zerbi has not had too many crises to cope with in his managerial career, yet when problems have arisen, he has reacted in a highly emotional way.

Just a matter of months into his tenure in Marseille, he offered to quit after a home loss against Auxerre, while he also threatened to walk away on numerous occasions, even before the pressure had really escalated.

“When he’s angry, he sulks,” a source close to Marseille told L’Equipe towards the end of his tenure in France.

Indeed, there was a total breakdown following OM’s Champions League exit at the hands of Club Brugge from which he would never recover from. He offered his resignation in the wake of that defeat, according to FootMercato, and while he limped on for three more matches, his heart seemed to have gone and a pitiful 5-0 loss to PSG in February proved his last.

Tottenham’s remaining fixtures

Tottenham have seven matches to save their season - and the good news for Spurs is that the fixture list is comparatively kind.

Next up is a trip to Sunderland before a home game against De Zerbi’s old Brighton side. Wolves away is a match they will certainly be targeting maximum points from, though trips to Aston Villa and Chelsea look tough, while Everton at home on the final day of the season has the makings of a banana skin with David Moyes’ side chasing Europe.

Perhaps the pivotal game will be the home clash against Leeds in May.

De Zerbi should be looking at those fixtures and thinking that they give Spurs a good crack at staying up.

Verdict: De Zerbi a gamble for Spurs

De Zerbi may be an attractive name on paper for Tottenham, but the circumstances in which he will take over make this appointment a gamble.

Managers who lean heavily on rigid tactical beliefs do not have a history of adapting quickly in mid-season scenarios in the Premier League, and with the urgency of the relegation battle clear, Spurs cannot afford the type of bedding-in period that De Zerbi enjoyed at Brighton.

Make no mistake, this move is a risk for Spurs.

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