Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Roberto De Zerbi to replace Igor Tudor.
The former Marseille manager, who had been out of work since leaving the French club in February, joins with the club mired in a Premier League relegation battle just one point ahead of the bottom three in the table.
Sources told ESPN that the deal with the Italian includes a substantial bonus for keeping the club in the Premier League. It is currently unclear if any provision is made for the club’s potential relegation.
“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 a club statement.
“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.”
Tottenham’s sporting director Johan Lange said: “Roberto was our number one target for the summer, and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.
“He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football, and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League.”
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) issued a statement expressing concern about the appointment, due to De Zerbi’s support of Mason Greenwood.
Greenwood had been charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behavior and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in October 2022, but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 after key witnesses withdrew and “new material came to light.”
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“While we recognise the limited pool of managers with recent Premier League experience, and the need to act with urgency as Spurs face the prospect of relegation, this appointment raises serious and far-reaching concerns, and many fans have been in touch with us to urge us to communicate the strength of feeling. We raised these concerns directly with the Club prior to its announcement,” a THST statement said.
“The Club has previously committed to challenging instances of violence against women and girls and acting with integrity and upholding its values when faced with any incidents.
“De Zerbi’s comments about Mason Greenwood were unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of supporters and, without doubt, will have left victims of male violence alarmed. We believe these statements, left unchecked, will create a divide among supporters at a time when we all need to be pulling together to back the team.
“It is concerning that the Club would put us in this position right when the team needs fans the most. Fans are rallying behind the “All Together, Always” initiative, and this appointment places heavy strain on that unity. If those remarks reflect his genuine views, they cast a troubling shadow over the values of the Club we love.
“The Club must reassert its commitment to the values that fans hold dear — chief among them equality, respect, and integrity. Any perceived sympathy toward alleged perpetrators of physical or sexual violence against women fundamentally undermines trust in the custodianship of this Club.”
De Zerbi’s first task will be a visit to Sunderland in the Premier League on April 12.
Information from ESPN’s James Olley was used in this report.
