Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur made one of the worst signings of the winter transfer window, adding Conor Gallagher for way too much money on wages and a 10 million overpay on what Aston Villa were about to spend to sign him from Atletico Madrid after Gallagher had already played himself out of the Spanish capital with poor performance (not to mention the fact that rivals Chelsea already didn't want him before that).

They nearly made another bad signing in Andrew Robertson, and while the 32 year old Liverpool left back ultimately did not join Spurs due to logistical issues, he is on the verge of a move to the N17 this summer. Because per Fabrizio Romano, there is a verbal agreement reached for Robertson to join Spurs this year if the Lilywhites are able to avoid relegation.

Robertson would be similar to the Gallagher signing. He is a well known Premier League player who has been poor lately, would not help the club, would not be better than who they already have, would have no future upside, and would come on high wages.

Spurs are finalists for Marcos Senesi

Well, Andrew Robertson isn't the only defender Tottenham Hotspur supporters have to worry about their club joining just to be an overpaid bench option. Because Matteo Moretto of MARCA, Fab's closest colleague on the transfer reporting beat, says that Spurs are one of the three finalists to sign Bournemouth center back Marcos Senesi.

The impending Premier League free agent is close to choosing his next club, and Moretto says that his agents have been in close touch with Tottenham, rivals Chelsea, and another Premier League powerhouse in Manchester United. Everyone else is said to be "much further away", which would presumably include the likes of Juventus.

Senesi is having a great year for Bournemouth, but with how easy it is for top players to dribble past him, he feels like fool's gold. While Senesi can make a lot of interventions, he is not a particularly skilled player, neither in his quality of the tackle, nor in his athleticism. And his technical quality is well below all the options Tottenham have.

Even if Tottenham Hotspur were to sign Marcos Senesi as a replacement for selling Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, it's still debatable if he is better than Kevin Danso or Kota Takai - and he definitely is not better than Luka Vuskovic, the Hamburg sensation. Senesi feels like a bad fit, a waste of money, and, well, why would Spurs even bother if they are at risk of relegation? It's another deal that would have mistake written all over it.

Tottenham Hotspur had one of the worst winter transfer windows a team circling around a crisis could possibly have. Instead of beefing up a squad that was begging for upgrades, especially in the attack, Spurs only made one experienced signing, overpaying on both wages and transfer fee for center midfielder Conor Gallagher, who has been dreadful.

But Spurs were also close to another similar signing in Andrew Robertson. Despite struggling since the start of the last season, performing poorly even for a Liverpool side that pretty much ran away with the Premier League title, Tottenham were highly interested in the 32 year old left back as another supposed leadership signing. And the only reason why a deal fell apart was that Liverpool could not bring back Kostas Tsimikas as his Milos Kerkez's backup.

Well, even after the hiring of Roberto De Zerbi, the incompetents in charge of Tottenham Hotspur are still salivating over a possible move for Andy Robertson. Not only have the transfer rumors not died, but they have accelerated.

Tottenham have an agreement with Andrew Robertson

And now, Fabrizio Romano has dropped the bomb shell that Tottenham and the aging Liverpool icon have a "verbal agreement" on a deal this summer for a free agent move. Nothing has been officially signed just yet, but there are "terms in place" for a deal that will reportedly be made final if Tottenham are able to avoid relegation under their new manager. Robertson is reportedly ready to choose Spurs over other suitors, which potentially include European giants Napoli and Atletico Madrid, if they can survive the Premier League drop.

Fab has basically revealed that the Tottenham brass have gone over the head of De Zerbi to make this move that they always wanted, because it is legitimately hard to see De Zerbi wanting a 32 year old player who is mediocre at his absolute best and a straight up liability in many cases.

Spurs already have two intriguing left back options in Destiny Udogie, who is one of the best in the league when healthy, and the highly promising Brazilian prospect Souza, who was signed just this past winter transfer window for a reason.

Andrew Robertson does not help Spurs at all, and his signing would be another step in the wrong direction of the club acting like an even worse version of the old Ed Woodward Manchester United strategy after Sir Alex Ferguson had left, going for known players in the Premier League who stink rather than actual talents.

There is no question that Thomas Frank was a total disaster as the Tottenham Hotspur manager, and the only question Spurs fans have at this point is just how bad was Frank compared to every other manager in the club's history.

Spurs were toothless, cowardly, and spiraled into a Premier League relegation fight. They are on the verge of their worst ever season and the absolute unthinkable, and they are now at the mercy of new coach Roberto De Zerbi to come in and save them.

It has not taken long, but De Zerbi is already showing that he is a much better option than Frank was last summer purely as a coach from a footballing perspective, and he is also a clear upgrade tactically on interim manager Igor Tudor.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to score

Already in his first press conference as Tottenham Hotspur manager prior to his debut against Sunderland in the Premier League, Roberto De Zerbi has outlined a clear philosophy in brief and a plan for how he wants Spurs to play.

Here is what he told the media, via Last Word on Spurs, My style is one part. One part the style of play and part is about the character and personality. I don't have time for principles or build-up, I want to give organisation with the ball and without the ball. What I want to do and what I want to achieve is the character. The right spirit, courage to play and attack. The DNA of this club and squad is to find the goal, to score. I can in this part, I can be able to transfer my principle.”

That is very beautifully said by De Zerbi, and Tottenham fans will especially like the honesty and the humility from RDZ to admit that Spurs are in too dire straits right now in the heat of a relegation battle for him to focus on principles and build-up play.

What De Zerbi is going to do is simple but effective. He is going to build on how Igor Tudor was trying to make Tottenham a more well drilled and organize side so that they did not fold and embarrass themselves. While he had limited success with that, looking at the last 3-0 result to Nottingham Forest, he was better than Frank, and now De Zerbi will be better still.

Plus, the part about De Zerbi talking about Tottenham needing to score and have that DNA of being a team that scores goals is massive. It's something Frank never did and never understood, this need to find the back of thenet and show some character and personality. Frank's teams were flat with no threat, and De Zerbi understands that this was not how Tottenham fans wanted to see their team play - nor was it remotely effective.

The Tottenham Hotspur attack has been a real issue all season long, but it really started to bottom out the longer Thomas Frank coached. As the Spurs players were further removed from the swashbuckling style that Ange Postecoglou had instilled in them, the playing style became more cowardly and lethargic with losses piling up.

Tottenham are desperately hoping that Roberto De Zerbi can turn them around and win some games. Beyond getting the most out of the young stars like Mathys Tel, the new Italian manager must also get the most out of some veteran players who have been real disppointments this season.

None of the trio of experienced strikers Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, nor Randal Kolo Muani have impressed this season. But Kolo Muani, signed on deadline day from PSG on loan, has been especially disappointing in recent months, nearly getting himself tossed out back to Paris with a terminated loan in January until Spurs simply realized they could not afford to bleed any talent.

Randal Kolo Muani is having a bad year

Speaking of Kolo Muani at the pre game press conference before Tottenham vs. Sunderland, Roberto De Zerbi said that the former Ligue 1 flop is a "good player" but admitted that he has not been playing well this season.

The new Spurs manager said, via Lilywhite Rose, “Kolo Muani I know is not playing a good season but he is a good player”.

Randal Kolo Muani was honestly a dreadful for PSG and a massive flop in the same league that Roberto De Zerbi coached in last, but he was decent for Nantes in the French top flight many years ago before shining at Eintracht Frankfurt to earn that ticket to Paris. Kolo Muani was even very good for Juventus on loan the previous season, with Spurs and Fabio Paratici signing him on loan from under the Bianconeri's noses.

There is indeed a good player buried somwhere in Kolo Muani, but he really has to start trying for Spurs in order for us all to see it. Now, Tottenham Hotspur being a step away from relegation may not be conducive to Kolo Muani caring, but perhaps the fiery De Zerbi can extract something out of a player he has not been afraid to admit is basically stinking up the joint in his first public comments of the striker. De Zerbi was respectful about it, but it is good to hear some straight up honesty from the coach on RKM.

The Roberto De Zerbi is about to begin for Tottenham Hotspur, and while many fans wanted Mauricio Pochettino and are upset about the new manager's track record at Marseille, there is no doubt that, overall, you can sense an optimism around the air at the club despite the valid concerns.

De Zerbi is a much stronger manager tactically than either Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor, and he brings the same kind of boldness and optimism that Ange Postecoglou did, which is the kind of mentality that Tottenham fans want to see at the club above all else.

The fans will be especially to see how De Zerbi can unlock the young stars on the team, especially Archie Gray and Mathys Tel, who have both been exceptional in recent weeks despite the club being dreadful - showing improvement even with the modest upgrade from Frank to Tudor.

Roberto De Zerbi tried to sign Mathys Tel before

Well, Roberto De Zerbi appears to be just as keen on working with Tel as the Spurs faithful are to see the Frenchman getting coached by someone who isn't afraid of scoring goals. In fact, De Zerbi revealed to the press at the conference before the game against Sunderland this weekend that he wanted Tel at Marseille all along, via Lilywhite Rose.

Before joining Bayern Munich - and then Tottenham Hotspur - Mathys Tel was one of the most talented young forward prospects in French football while at Rennes, a club that have produced some real hidden gems over the last 10 years.

Tel never made it to Marseille, but now De Zerbi gets to work with the explosive left winger. Tel is his only real option on that flanks, unless if RDZ were to make the ill advised decision to stick veteran striker Randal Kolo Muani over there. But he wouldn't, because, well, now we know he is a fan of Tel.

The fact that De Zerbi wanted Tel in Ligue 1 is huge, and it all but confirms that the Italian manager will have big things planned for a real talent - the most talented forward at the club with Mohammed Kudus out injured, honestly - who was being held back to an embarrassing degree by predecessor Thomas Frank.

Tottenham fans are excited to see De Zerbi be the opposite of what Frank was for this offense, and a lot of that begins with making full use of a player like Tel.

Young Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky had one of the worst games a player can have, almost single handedly costing Spurs their Champions League knockout tie against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.

Kinsky slipped and slid all over the pitch, making a few costly errors to hand goals directly to Atleti before being subbed off before 30 minutes even finished. But the last image of the match was the clumsy Igor Tudor not even acknowledging Kinsky in a shattering moment.

The Czech international was set up to fail. He had not played in months, completley discarded by the buffoonery of failed Spurs hire Thomas Frank. With Guglielmo Vicario playing horrendously and suffering through a hernia, Spurs finally turned to Kinsky, but instead of easing him in, Tudor started him in a big Champions League knockout match against a tough team in a stadium that has been very suspiciously slippery to opposing teams this season.

Roberto De Zerbi is behind Antonin Kinsky

Although Kinsky has not started since, with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League relegation zone after rivals West Ham United destroyed Wolves 4-0, the young man will be between the sticks on Sunday against overperformers Sunderland as Vicario is not yet recovered from a much needed hernia surgery.

The fans are behind Kinsky and rooting for him to succeed, but there has to be some trepidation in the air after his last outing. But the new manager Roberto De Zerbi had the perfect comforting words for his shot stopper at the press conference before the Sunderland game.

De Zerbi said, via Alasdair Gold of Football.London, "I didn't speak yet with him because I think he doesn't need to speak too much. I have confidence. He has to be strong, but he is strong enough to show what he can do. Not more, not less. I think his qualities are enough to play at Tottenham. The other players believe in him. He has to stay calm and confident. He is playing at Tottenham, so he has to be stronger than the mistakes, and to move on."

That is very beautifully said by De Zerbi. He is attempting to unburden the pressure on Antonin Kinsky, liberating the goalkeeper of a back drop that could doom him to fail again. And the part about RDZ bringing up his teammates believing in him is a wonderful touch, because the unity of being backed and being part of something bigger than himself can carry Kinksy far on Sunday. Spurs need him.

Tottenham Hotspur have everything to play for in the final seven games of the 2025/26 Premier League season, because after West Ham United made short work of the worst team in the league, Wolves, by winning 4-0, the Lilywhites are officially in 18th place and in the relegation zone for the first time this campaign.

Spurs have to win. Sunderland are a tough team defensively and have outperformed expectations in their return to the English top flight after making a number of shrewd budget summer signings, but Tottenham have more quality and should be beating them even with all the injuries.

Of course, part of the optimism comes from a tactical upgrade in the manager's seat after Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham were able to successfully convince risky hot head Roberto De Zerbi to join them on a massive contract.

Antonin Kinsky will be in goal

De Zerbi inherits a depleted team, and right when he took the job, he learned that he won't even be getting his best player, winger Mohammed Kudus, back for either this weekend battle with Sunderland - or for the rest of the 2025/26 season.

Tottenham Hotspur will also miss two more key players against the Black Cats, as De Zerbi revealed to reporters at the press conference before the game. Guglielmo Vicario seemed like he could play after getting hernia surgery done, but he will not, in fact, make it in time for the first matchup after the March international break. Meanwhile, another Serie A grad, Rodrigo Bentancur, will still not be back yet.

Roberto De Zerbi said of Bentancur and Vicario's injuries, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Vicario is not ready for this game. I hope he can come back next week but I don't know yet. Bentancur is working with us but not completely but we have enough to fight, to play, to make points."

Rodrigo Bentancur still being out injured in the midfield with that hamstring tear of his is not a big deal for Tottenham. They have been better without him in the starting lineup, and while he is a decent depth guy, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray are superior players in the middle of the park for De Zerbi to work with.

The real headliner is Guglielmo Vicario still being out. He has been terrible this season, and while young Antonin Kinsky's errors against Atletico Madrid stick out, Vic in his previous injured state was just as bad. But a healthy Vicario is a good keeper, and if Kinsky can't get it together against Sunderland, people will point to his absence as a huge blow for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur have a number of top talents whom Roberto De Zerbi should be excited to work with as the new manager, especially consdering Spurs are in dire straits and literally now sitting in the Premier League's relegation zone following rivals West Ham United dunking on Wolves 4-0.

Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall are all future superstars. Xavi Simons may already be one with better coaching. Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, and Kevin Danso are all, in theory, very good footballers as well. Maybe a healthy Guglielmo Vicario is, too.

But there are also a number of players on Tottenham who look like disasters. One player who has drawn a lot of ire from the supporters in recent months is winter signing Conor Gallagher, for whom Spurs both overpaid in wages and transfer fee only to watch completely flounder in the middle of the park.

Roberto De Zerbi has always liked Conor Gallagher

Despite Gallagher's obvious issues and lack of upside, Roberto De Zerbi is, surprisingly, a big fan of his, even though most Spurs supporters would have expected RDZ to want absolutely nothing to do with him.

At the press conference before the match between Tottenham and Sunderland in the Premier League, De Zerbi spoke very highly of Conor Gallagher and stated that while the center midfielder was playing at Chelsea, the former Brighton manager loved him as a player.

Roberto De Zerbi said of Gallagher, via Lilywhite Rose, "I want to see again the same Gallagher I loved in Chelsea time. And I think I am lucky because I have a big confidence in my players and their qualities."

Gallagher was actually a great player in the Premier League for mid table Crystal Palace a few years ago, and he did have his moments for Chelsea, though they did rightfully dump him off due to his limitations at an elite club.

Spurs need to be careful not to overrate him, but maybe De Zerbi can calculate the best usage for the British Bulldog. Gallagher is a great athlete who can win the ball and drive it forward, even though he has only shown that quality about once in a Tottenham kit all half season long.

De Zerbi taking a liking to Gallagher is a bit surprising, but it is less surprising when you factor in that he's talking about the times when he was an effective Premier League player and not a current walking disaster for Atletico Madrid and Spurs. Now let's see if he can get anything out of him.

The Roberto De Zerbi era has officially dawned on Tottenham Hotspur, and if the former Brighton and Marseille manager is indeed in it for the long haul at the N17, then the fans are especially intrigued to see how he makes use of the many top young talents at the club.

Players like Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall are just dying to break out into true superstardom. But there are also young players at Spurs who are already stars in world football, and the one who comes to mind the most is attacking midfielder Xavi Simons.

In all honesty, Simons has been a bit disappointing in his first season since making an approximately 60 million euro move from Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig to Spurs, but there have been flashes of world class quality from the former Barcelona academy product that made him such a stud for both PSV and Leipzig before his time in the Premier League.

Roberto De Zerbi is a fan of Xavi Simons

At the press conference before Sunday's crucial matchup with Sunderland in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi spoke highly of Xavi Simons, praising the Dutch international as a "big talent", via Lilywhite Rose.

Yes, it is an obvious statement for De Zerbi to make, and it would maybe be more headline worthy if RDZ said anything else about his 22 year old attacking midfield gem. But it is nonetheless something for Tottenham fans to get excited about, because De Zerbi gassing up and being happy to work with Simons is a reminder of how much further the Dutchman can go with the new coach.

Simons looked so frustrated under the cowardly football under Thomas Frank, and, honestly, the coaching of Igor Tudor was only marginally better by comparison, simply because Frank was so hopelessly inept.

Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi is a coach with the same philosophy and mentality of Ange Postecoglou in terms of always wanting to go all out and win, and yet he has the actual tactical acumen to potentially execute for a club like Tottenham.

The result could be their athletic starting No. 10 truly busting out and playing some great football, just like he did in the Dutch and German top flights, as well as in the Europa League and Champions League. And even in the Champions League this season when even Frank was trying to score, Simosn showed that quality. He could be eating good soon.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi steps into his new job with a tall task to tackle. Spurs are now officially in the Premier League relegation zone after watching London rivals West Ham United beat on the 20th placed team, Wolves, 4-0 on Friday Night Football. And in their last game, Spurs were the ones who got trounced in a head to head relegation fight, falling 3-0 to lowly Nottingham Forest.

So De Zerbi clearly has his work cut out for him, and with Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski not coming back to a right side that also lost Wilson Odobert an ACL tear, finding attacking production is largely going to fall on the purported master tactician's plate.

But there is more to coaching than tactics, and Tottenham fans want to see De Zerbi prove that he is the right man - as a person - for the job. Even though Thomas Frank was a nice guy, Tottenham fans could not stand the way he spoke about the team and then had the team play - with cowardice and no ambition, literally telling people to expect to lose a lot of games and then going out to do precisely that.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to win it all

De Zerbi, though? He wants to bring Tottenham Hotspur trophies. The manager said of his ambitions at Spurs, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "In my plan for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I'm not speaking about the titles because it's not the right moment now, but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level."

Now, Roberto De Zerbi is going to have to do more than just talk, of course. From a character perspective, he needs to show that what he did at Marseille, especially the stuff he did with Mason Greenwood, is not who he is today. But also from a footballing perspective, he needs to actually bring those results and win with Tottenham before anyone can anoint him or lavish him with praise.

At the same time, Tottenham fans can't help but find it refresing to hear a manager speak about their beloved club in terms like these again. Ange Postecoglou wasn't a great coach, but he brought optimism and ambition. De Zerbi is already talking about winning the Premier League even in these dire times, and that's at least a glimmer of hope - even just the fact that a Spurs coach is saying something like that out loud.