Football365

In no other job can you fail upwards quite as spectacularly as you can as a football manager.

Roberto De Zerbi, who was sacked by Marseille in February following a 5-0 hammering to PSG, has landed himself the Tottenham job and is being paid a king’s ransom to do it.

Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham has offered the crown jewels to the former Brighton boss and while Spurs fans protest against the principles of the new manager, the rest of us are wondering how on earth his agent pulled it off.

Here’s the top six best-paid managers in the Premier League and where De Zerbi fits in.

Having taken over when the club was in the midst of a relegation scrap, Howe has proved good value for his salary and turned Newcastle United into a team capable of consistently qualifying for the Champions League.

He delivered the club’s first trophy in decades, something every fan would say £6m a year was worth, but there are – for the first time – real question marks about whether he can take the club to the next level.

A disappointing league campaign, highlighted by two defeats to newly promoted rivals Sunderland, combined with a humiliation at the hands of Barcelona, mean Newcastle have little to play for this year and face a summer of once again trying to keep their best players.

Howe then could face the chop if the Newcastle owners are serious about becoming part of the Premier League elite.

With Jurgen Klopp on a reported £15m, paying a different manager less than half that haul to deliver a Premier League title seemed like a bargain bit of business from the Anfield higher-ups.

But there are now more question marks about the credentials of Slot, who was given a record-breaking summer spend only to have his team stutter.

Liverpool are currently fifth in the league, which should be good enough for a Champions League spot, and although the Liverpool board have maintained they are sticking with the Dutchman, a trophy would go a long way to silencing those who want Xabi Alonso in.

Considering where Aston Villa were when he took over and where they are now, Unai Emery is worth every penny of that £8m.

The club were relegation candidates when he arrived in October 2022 and are now semi-consistent Champions League qualifiers, even if there is no silverware to show for it.

PSR has kept a ceiling on the club breaking through that next barrier but it’s easy to imagine they would be a lot lower with the Spaniard at the club.

Tottenham’s situation left them in a terrible negotiating position when they approached Roberto De Zerbi but even with that in mind, the deal seems ludicrous.

According to a number of reports, De Zerbi will be paid £12m per season, making him the third-highest-paid manager in the league, and he has been given a seven-figure bonus for signing.

Reports suggest there is no relegation clause so there is a very real possibility Spurs could be paying their manager £12m a year in the Championship. For context, that figure would be double the current highest-paid second-tier boss with Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna reportedly on £6m a year.

To make matters worse, Spurs have given De Zerbi a five-year deal so if (when) it all explodes, they could face a payout of up to £60m. Just some great work from Vinai Venkatesham…

MORE ON SPURS ON F365

* Romano insists De Zerbi is prepared for Tottenham relegation: ‘He is ready to stay, fight, and rebuild’

* Spurs: De Zerbi ‘names’ Juventus star as potential first signing as £17m man says ‘yes’ to transfer

* De Zerbi tipped to turn former Arsenal captain into star of his new-look Tottenham side

While there are still question marks over whether Arteta can make the final step, there is no doubt that he has improved the club since taking over in December 2019.

At that time, Arsenal were an ill-disciplined joke who finished fifth under Unai Emery; Arteta’s biggest achievement has been changing the mindset around the club.

Good but troublesome characters like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were moved on and Arteta created arguably the strongest defence in the world.

He signed his latest extension in September 2024 and needs to show now that he is the manager who can win Arsenal the really big trophies.

If De Zerbi’s salary is laughable, few will argue that Pep Guardiola has been worth his.

A cool £20m a year, or around £380k a week, puts Guardiola behind only Mo Salah and Erling Haaland in terms of best-paid people in the Premier League, but he has delivered.

Guardiola has won 19 trophies whilst at the Etihad and 2026 marks his 10th year at the club, more than double the four years he spent at Barcelona.

The Catalan manager signed his latest extension in November 2024, taking him through to 2027, but there are some suggestions he could walk away this summer and whoever comes in next will surely be on a lot less than Guardiola.

Roberto De Zerbi could turn to former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to add goals to his Tottenham side in the summer.

European football expert Andy Brassell reckons Aubameyang would be a good short-term addition as De Zerbi looks to rebuild Spurs ahead of next season.

The Italian was announced as the new Tottenham head coach on a five-year contract on Tuesday as Spurs brought forward his appointment after interim boss Igor Tudor left by mutual consent.

Tottenham are currently just one point above the relegation zone and face a testing final seven matches in order to save their status as a Premier League football club.

But, looking ahead to the summer, Brassell has identified several players who could improve Tottenham whilst being appealing to De Zerbi.

Argentina international Geronimo Rulli, who worked with De Zerbi at Marseille, is one option to replace Guglielmo Vicario in net at Tottenham.

READ: De Zerbi ‘cancelled’ despite £60m Spurs agreement after ‘choosing not to exclude Greenwood’

Brassell said on talkSPORT: “Geronimo Rulli in goal. He’s a terrific goalkeeper. He’s brilliant with his feet as well, so he’s the best of both worlds.

“Okay, he’s experienced – he’s 33 years old now, but he’s got plenty in the tank.”

He added: “I think he’ll command his box better and he’s way better with his feet, as well as in my view being a better shot stopper than Vicario.”

Micky Van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro all kept their place in Brassell’s potential XI under De Zerbi, while he opted to put in on-loan youngster Luka Vuskovic to replace wantaway Tottenham captain Cristian Romero.

Lucas Bergvall keeps his place in midfield, while Brassell reckons AC Milan star Adrien Rabiot could join the young Swede as the other holding midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Brassell said: “I go for Adrien Rabiot because I think there is someone who I think should have played in the Premier League by now anyway.

“You look at the size of him, the physicality of him. He’s developed into such a brilliant player over the last three or four years.

“He always had the talent, but now I think he knows who and what he is, and despite various little ups and downs, he’s been great for Milan this season.”

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365…

* Spurs: De Zerbi ‘names’ Juventus star as potential first signing as £17m man says ‘yes’ to transfer

* Newcastle, Spurs combined XI: Were relegated Toon ‘much better’ than Tottenham?

* Romano insists De Zerbi is prepared for Tottenham relegation: ‘He is ready to stay, fight, and rebuild’

Brassell then controversially called for Tottenham to sign former Arsenal captain Aubameyang as a left winger over the summer transfer window.

The European football expert added: “Perhaps a little bit out there for some people, I’d go for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

“He’s going to turn 37 in the summer, so it’s a short-term signing. It would be for a good time rather than a long time.

“He has been so good since he’s left the Premier League.”

Brassell actually thinks Aubameyang is better at Marseille now than when he was scoring for fun at Arsenal, he said: “He was a player who would touch the ball like 10-15 times a game and just really defined himself by his pace and his goals.

“Now he’s still got really good pace actually, not quite what it was when he was 29 obviously, but he’s still quick enough.

“He’s so unbelievably intelligent, he stretches the game by taking the ball down the flanks, he defends really tigerishly. He keeps himself incredibly fit. He scores and creates.

“You look at his assist numbers over the last couple of seasons and they’re absolutely brilliant. For me, he would be a better version of what Randal Kolo Muani should have been for Tottenham.”

Before concluding: “Even though there’s the Arsenal connection and maybe for that reason Aubameyang wouldn’t be open to it.

“But if we’re talking money and affiliation no object I think he’d be a really terrific signing for them.”

Elsewhere, Brassell kept Dejan Kulusevski on the right-hand side in his XI with Xavi Simons playing just behind Tottenham striker Richarlison.

According to reports, Roberto De Zerbi has ‘named’ his preferred first signing at Tottenham Hotspur, while one player looks set to leave.

On Tuesday night, Spurs confirmed the appointment of new head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who has penned a five-year contract with the Premier League giants.

After his arrival was confirmed, De Zerbi revealed a couple of reasons why he decided to join Spurs. He said: “I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world.

“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.”

READ: De Zerbi ‘cancelled’ despite £60m Spurs agreement after ‘choosing not to exclude Greenwood’

In the short-term, De Zerbi has been tasked with guiding Spurs to Premier League safety and his new side are in serious danger. They are only one point clear of the bottom three with seven games remaining.

Therefore, De Zerbi has far more pressing concerns than transfers at the moment, but a report from Italian outlet Calciomercato claims he is ‘fishing’ for Juventus star Manuel Locatelli and has ‘named’ the midfielder as a player he wants.

De Zerbi and Locatelli previously worked together at Italian outfit Sassuolo, while the 28-year-old has made 222 appearances for Juventus over the past five seasons.

Locatelli, who is under contract until 2028, has made 39 appearances for Juventus this season, and the report claims Spurs will look to sign him if they avoid relegation to the Championship.

The report explains:

‘During his initial discussions with the London club’s owners, Roberto De Zerbi discussed potential transfer targets for the future, naming the Juventus midfielder for next season.

‘The London team’s main objective is to secure survival in what has been a tremendously difficult season for last season’s Europa League winners, but at the same time, to start thinking about building a new squad.’

Regardless of whether Spurs survive this season, there will inevitably be exits as part of a major squad overhaul in the summer.

Guglielmo Vicario is expected to be on the move, with L’Interista claiming he has said ‘yes’ to joining Inter Milan in a potential £17m (20 million euros) deal.

The report adds:

‘His fee is expected to be around €20 million, assuming the London club aren’t relegated, in which case the price could drop further.

‘There’s some important news regarding the goalkeeper, however. According to what our editorial team has learned, Inter are ready to offer the current Tottenham goalkeeper a four-year contract worth €3.5 million per season.’

Nicky Butt and Kevin Nolan reckons their relegated Newcastle team was a ‘much better’ side than the current Tottenham Hotspur. Fair?

The ex-Toon pair were on ‘The Good, The Bad and the Football’ podcast where they reminisced over the Magpies shambolic relegation in 2008/09.

During that season, Newcastle waved off their revered manager; appointed a relic who didn’t know the names of his players; sold their best player in January; and eventually went down under another local hero; with many players barely bothering to hide their eagerness to get away from the club. And that’s barely half the story.

Still, Nolan sees parallels with what’s happening at Spurs this season.

“It is a real big similarity to what’s going on at Tottenham now,” he said before agreeing with Butt that their Newcastle side was better.

“When you hear Spurs people saying ‘oh we’re too big to go down’, they’re not too big to go down because I believe we were a much better team, man-to-man and as a team, than Spurs are now.”

We all watched that Newcastle team and, instinctively, we would have disputed that claim.

But a combined XI of the Newcastle then and Tottenham now includes more Mags than Spurs. Just.

Here is that XI, taking into account form rather than reputation…

GK: Shay Given (Newcastle)

Probably Newcastle’s best player in the 2008/09 season and many in the ranks of the Toon Army will highlight his sale to Manchester City late in January as the point it really started to go wrong. Not that they were flying with Given in goal; they were 15th at the time with two points separating the bottom six.

RB: Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Spanish defender has been… ok. He certainly hasn’t been helped by being asked to play in a variety of right-sided positions recently and it all got bit much for him when he was hooked against Palace. It was Porro or Habib Beye.

CB: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)

Romero’s nonsense this season has been entirely typical of the Argentina centre-back while Micky Van de Ven’s drop-off has been more stark and more alarming. So on the basis of better the devil you know, Romero is in.

CB: Sebastien Bassong (Newcastle)

Voted Newcastle’s tallest dwarf when he won Player of the Season before forcing his way out of the club at the earliest opportunity, moving to Spurs in the summer of 2009 having effectively gone on strike, refusing to travel on the Magpies’ pre-season tour, calling the political situation at the club ‘a shambles’. He had a point.

LB: Jose Enrique (Newcastle)

Just like Porro’s selection at right-back, Enrique is in as marginally the better of two very ‘meh’ options. Djed Spence’s form is good enough for Thomas Tuchel but aside from a good spell in the autumn, he has certainly not looked like being part of the solution for Spurs. Enrique was solid enough and stuck around to get Newcastle out of the Championship, winning the club’s Player of the Season in the second tier.

MORE: Tonali to Man Utd, Gordon to Liverpool as six Newcastle stars reassigned with PIF ‘open for business’

CM: Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)

Should Spurs go down, Gray will be one of the few players applauded from the pitch on the final day, the youngster carrying out every role asked of him – there have been many – and one of the few who will have the opportunities for a big move that some of his team-mates seem to assume they will too.

CM: Nicky Butt (Newcastle)

Only one player played more than Butt during what was supposed to be his final season before retirement. But the ex-England midfielder didn’t want to do the ‘s***house’ thing and walk away having left Newcastle in a hole he helped land them in. So he signed up for one more season and shared the captaincy with Alan Smith to lift the Championship trophy before he hung up his boots.

RW: Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Ghana winger remains the Spurs player with the highest number of assists and he’s been out since January 4. Only Richarlison has more goal contributions. His return, perhaps for the trip to Sunderland next week, could be as important as a new manager being in the dug out.

LW: Damien Duff (Newcastle)

Probably Newcastle’s most consistent outfield player through a wretched season, Nolan made sure to exclude Duff from the list of players whose performances showed they wanted out of St James’ Park. He played only one game in the Championship before Fulham paid £4million to bring him back to the Premier League.

CF: Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Brazilian might not be fancied by many but he’s scored more than double the number of goals of any of Spurs team-mate – and already more than any Newcastle player in the team that went down. That the two Tottenham players closest to him for Premier League goals are both centre-backs tells you much about the problems Roberto De Zerbi is facing.

MORE: Top 10 issues De Zerbi and Tottenham must instantly address to try and avoid calamity

CF: Obafemi Martins (Newcastle)

Martins and Owen both scored eight league goals but the Nigerian wasn’t choppering in and out of Tyneside each day and generally carrying the air of a man who resented being dragged from his horses to play for the club. Martins at least said he wanted to stay and help Newcastle get out of the Championship – before he was sold to Wolfsburg. His last game was the 6-1 pre-season defeat at Leyton Orient that Nolan remembers so fondly.

England were a bit rubbish on Tuesday night against Japan. Not great at all. Plenty for Thomas Tuchel to ruminate over ahead of the World Cup.

As Martin Samuel writes in The Times: ‘The Senegal defeat seemed to end a few England careers under Tuchel, and this may do the same. Can there be a place for Phil Foden still after another bloodless display? Is Ben White truly worth the aggravation?’

That second question is particularly pertinent, because while Samuel seems to doubt whether White should be integrated back into the England fold after leaving a World Cup squad because of reported problems with a member of the coaching staff, he has rarely if ever had such doubts over whether Mason Greenwood is ‘truly worth the aggravation’ of allegations of attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and controlling and coercive behaviour, charges which were made and later dropped after “the withdrawal of key witnesses and new evidence that came to light” with “no realistic prospect of conviction”.

It is not clear what made Samuel the arbiter on a case as complex and delicate as Greenwood’s. These headlines have all popped up on The Times over recent years, all articles penned by their Chief Correspondent:

‘Manchester United have a duty of care to help Mason Greenwood face future’

‘Manchester United make Mason Greenwood someone else’s problem’

‘Manchester United must decide on Mason Greenwood themselves’

‘If jobs exist for ‘criminal class’, why can’t Greenwood play for United?’

A shiny penny to those of you who recall Samuel using fake Erik ten Hag quotes to back up his latest turn as the devil’s most tiresome advocate in one of those pieces published during a time he became almost obsessed with the idea that if Greenwood played again, it should really be for Manchester United.

It is, however, clear that while he wrote in January 2022 that this was ‘a watershed moment for the game, how it handles the allegations and how it views Greenwood’, what Samuel actually meant was that the striker deserves a second chance.

That two-word phrase is used four times in the copy of his latest article for The Times, as well as in this deplorable headline:

‘It’s a worry if Roberto De Zerbi is cancelled for belief in second chances’

Is there anything more f**king laborious than pretending someone who has just been given a five-year contract worth £60m might be ‘cancelled’?

Samuel mercifully does not discuss De Zerbi in those terms – that abomination is on the headline writer alone – but it is no surprise to see the man responsible for this…

…vouch for the power of ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘the capacity to learn from his past’.

It is, after all, good to know where Samuel historically stands on the ‘hotness’ of allegations such as those surrounding Greenwood, considering more than a decade later he is all about ‘societal reintegration through learning and self-improvement’ (and chastising four separate Tottenham supporter groups – Women of the Lane, Proud Lilywhites, Spurs Reach and THFC Flags – for being really quite uneasy at the club’s appointment of a staunch Greenwood apologist in De Zerbi).

‘Their opposition to De Zerbi becoming Tottenham head coach concerns his stance on the former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood, a player signed by Marseille during his time as head coach,’ is a cute line from Samuel, attempting to distance De Zerbi from the recruitment of Greenwood in the first place.

It’s a little awkward that De Zerbi said at the time of his signing that “Greenwood is the first player I called”, rather obliterating the flimsy idea that this was simply ‘a player signed by Marseille during his time as head coach’.

Greenwood was always a player De Zerbi specifically pursued rather than one he had forced or bestowed upon him. Elye Wahi wasn’t a mess he simply inherited either.

But ‘De Zerbi was required to speak about Greenwood in his position as a senior club official’, and ‘maybe there was an element of professional instinct in protecting one of his players’ with his comments.

Does repeatedly referring to a player as “like a son” who he vowed to “protect” and “defend” from censure really qualify as ‘professional instinct’ kicking in? It sounds a bit more personal.

Samuel is, of course, right: ‘This is actually about De Zerbi. De Zerbi talking of Greenwood, De Zerbi choosing not to exclude Greenwood, De Zerbi considering Greenwood capable of not being the worst version of himself, for ever. De Zerbi’s offence, it would seem, is to think the player worthy of another chance; to speak of him in positive terms, rather than constantly defining him by his basest moment.’

Except ‘De Zerbi’s offence’ isn’t that at all. Not even slightly. It’s the fact he put football ahead of everything and thus not only trivialised domestic violence then but has dismissed that context ever since.

Never mind ‘choosing not to exclude Greenwood’, De Zerbi specifically decided to sign, platform and shield him purely because he is good at scoring goals, not because he had some sort of epiphany on loan at Getafe, or showed any contrition at any point for anything.

But all this is a preamble to a paragraph bold in idea and frankly stunning in execution. Because if there is a chance to have a pop at Gary Lineker, you best believe a right-leaning newspaper will take it gleefully:

‘And yes, anyone who has heard the original recordings of Greenwood’s alleged behaviour released on January 30, 2022, finds it hard to square with the idea of a good guy. Yet to tie him to that moment is to consider humanity incapable of change, which we know is untrue and not in our best nature. It is now almost a year since Gary Lineker forwarded a fateful post, containing a crude antisemitic graphic, which he had failed to notice. The BBC could have let that be his epitaph. Instead, he was allowed a last Match of the Day, the balance of a glittering career as a footballer and in broadcasting outweighing a foolish mistake. There were consequences – as there have undoubtedly been for Greenwood who was heading for the twin peaks of United and England until he became a pariah – but there was equally a desire for forgiveness. Lineker’s immediate position may have been untenable, but his disgrace was not allowed permanence.’

Don’t worry, dear reader. Samuel has realised that allegations of serious domestic and sexual abuse might not be completely comparable to someone having ‘forwarded a fateful post, containing a crude antisemitic graphic, which he had failed to notice’.

‘Of course, Lineker’s mistake was of a completely different type and not nearly as serious as Greenwood’s alleged behaviour – but was never allowed to feel like a life sentence.’

At least try and mask your frustration at that, Martin. And what part of Greenwood’s remarkably well-remunerated life as a professional footballer at something certainly close to the highest level constitutes ‘a life sentence’?

‘Nobody is defending Greenwood’s alleged actions, or downplaying the seriousness of the original accusation.’

The fact you deem that clarification necessary in the closing paragraph speaks volumes.

‘De Zerbi, however, has committed no crime beyond remaining faithful to the idea of second chances. That this, too, is now considered a crime should really concern us all.’

You can’t even call someone accused of serious domestic and sexual violence your “son”, swear to “protect” and “defend” them from criticism and completely gloss over their past because they’re a “good guy” who is good at football nowadays. You’ll get locked up.

Fabrizio Romano insists that new Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi “is ready to stay, fight, and rebuild” if Spurs are relegated this season.

Tottenham confirmed on Tuesday that former Marseille and Brighton boss De Zerbi has been appointed as their new manager after Thomas Frank was sacked earlier this year.

Igor Tudor had a nightmare seven matches in charge of Spurs, which has put them in deeper relegation trouble, with the Croatian interim boss leaving by mutual consent on Sunday.

And now Tottenham have moved quickly to secure their top manager target with De Zerbi insisting he is “delighted” to take on the challenge.

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

“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.

READ: Which players have forced the most Premier League manager sackings by scoring?

“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 are just one point above the relegation zone with seven matches to play in the Premier League and face the very real possibility that they could drop into the Championship next season.

But Romano insists that there is “no relegation exit clause” in De Zerbi’s contract with the Italian fully prepared to face relegation from the Premier League.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “And now it’s official, it’s done, it’s signed, it’s here we go.

“Roberto De Zerbi is the new Tottenham Hotspur manager.

“Everything is agreed and confirmed. He takes the job immediately and has committed until June 2031, so a very long contract.

READ: De Zerbi big winner of Spurs shambles even with relegation as Vinai, Lange make reckless cock-up

“There is no relegation exit clause. From what I am told, De Zerbi explained very clearly to the Tottenham board and players that he is fully committed to the project. If Tottenham were to go down to the Championship, he is ready to stay, fight, and rebuild.

“Of course, the main mission is to stay in the Premier League, then start a fresh new project next season. He will be among the top three best paid managers. in the league. A huge move, full commitment, and a new era starting at Tottenham. Good luck to Roberto De Zerbi.”

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber insists that De Zerbi “will do very well” wherever he goes as a coach after being impressed with his work at the Amex Stadium.

Barber told talkSPORT: “Roberto is a fabulous football coach and I’m sure wherever he goes, he will do very well.”

When asked about their differences at the end of their time working together, Barber added: “Not differences as such.

“Roberto did two fabulous years with us, we got into Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

“We worked really hard to entertain the fans, which we did.

“And Roberto is a fantastic character to work with.

“Obviously we wished him well when he went to Marseille, and let’s see what the future brings for him.”

Roberto De Zerbi is a big winner of this shambolic farce of a Spurs season, with the board’s latest cock-up potentially the worst yet…

On Tuesday night, Spurs confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach.

Initially, this appointment seemed an impossibility, but Spurs have toiled away at changing De Zerbi‘s mind on returning to management before the summer, and this hard work has paid off, but at what cost?

We have already presented the argument that in Tottenham’s current predicament, they may have been better off going for a vibes-based appointment over De Zerbi’s hostility to get them over the Premier League safety line.

Time will only tell if that will be right, but chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange may well argue that they deserve credit for recruiting the best manager on the market at their time of need.

And out of the managers listed as targets to replace out-of-his-depth Igor Tudor, De Zerbi is certainly the one with the strongest reputation after being hailed by Pep Guardiola and others.

But Vinai and Lange have, somewhat impressively, turned an excellent appointment on the surface into a reckless cock-up.

READ: Six De Zerbi-ites Tottenham should sign in £154.5m summer splurge

It’s hard to argue with De Zerbi not wanting anything to do with this Spurs mess, having initially indicated that he would only take over in the summer if/when they had secured their Premier League status.

And to force a U-turn, Spurs were always going to be on the defensive and would have to offer several assurances to gain favour with De Zerbi or another manager of a similar standing, but they needn’t have done quite so much to get their man.

As per a report from BBC Sport‘s Sami Mokbel, De Zerbi has penned a five-year contract (which is bonkers enough) that ‘does not include a clause that allows the Italian to walk away from the club if they are in the Championship next season’.

De Zerbi is also said to be ‘fully committed to rebuilding Tottenham and views the position as a long-term project regardless of which division they are playing in’, while it’s previously been reported that his deal (which includes a ‘significant’ bonus for survival) will make him the third-best paid manager in the Premier League behind Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.

So, in short, De Zerbi has fully taken advantage of Tottenham’s dire straits and has ensured, in negotiations, that he will exit this situation as a big winner, even if his new side gets relegated.

There are several damning factors about De Zerbi’s deal, including that a manager who has had eight jobs in 13 years has been given a five-year contract, especially one who brings so much hostility and is incredibly unlikely to be any longer than three seasons at an absolute maximum.

You hope for Tottenham’s sake that his contract includes a clause to slash his wages if they get relegated, but you really wouldn’t put it past their hierarchy to gloss over this rather large detail.

A ‘break clause’, meanwhile, would have provided each side with protection should the worst happen, and it is utterly baffling that Spurs have not insisted upon this being included in De Zerbi’s deal.

Even if Tottenham’s run-in results in relegation, this clause would have permitted De Zerbi to escape with his reputation largely intact, because with most of the damage done before his arrival, he would not be to blame for them going down.

Alternatively, De Zerbi could become the saviour who keeps Spurs in the Premier League and can then look ahead to a substantial long-term rebuild in the top flight.

But without a break clause, De Zerbi will be a big winner of this saga even if he sticks around for the Championship, with the 46-year-old standing to earn an absolute fortune with a pay-off from his nonsensical five-year deal.

For lack of a better term, De Zerbi has absolutely had Tottenham’s pants down…

Roberto De Zerbi has taken the reins at Tottenham having been persuaded by ENIC to join them in a relegation battle.

After initially insisting he wouldn’t consider the job until the end of the season reports suggested he’s made a U-turn for a host of reasons, almost all of them to do with heaps of cash money.

A man who’s left half of his previous clubs after 30 games or less and didn’t last two seasons at Brighton or Marseille has signed a long-term deal which will supposedly see him become the third-highest paid manager in the Premier League; it also includes a signing-on fee, survival bonus and no relegation clause.

It’s a package that’s proven hard to say no to even before reported ‘assurances of major summer investment to reshape the squad to his vision’.

But how might De Zerbi spend that summer cash if we make the huge assumption that he keeps them in the top flight? Here are six De Zerbi-ites he could look to bring in to fix Tottenham next season.

We’ve included their current market values to give a dubious indication of the required outlay.

Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton): £22m

Son Heung-min’s departure left a gaping hole on the left of the Tottenham attack that’s been filled like a toddler p*ssing into a swimming pool by Mathys Tel and with Mitoma’s current Brighton contract expiring in the summer of 2027 there’s a decent chance of a cut-price deal.

De Zerbi once described Mitoma as a “great player” you can “never substitute” – one he substituted nine times in the Premier League – but who undeniably thrived under the Italian having completed his famous dribbling thesis in Japan and joining Brighton the summer before De Zerbi arrived in September 2022.

“The way he sets up the team and his tactics are helping my performance, as it suits my style very well,” said Mitoma, who got 23 goal contributions in 48 games under De Zerbi and has managed just 24 in 82 appearances since they parted company.

Bart Verbruggen (Brighton): £35m

One might have thought Verbruggen wouldn’t be on best terms with De Zerbi as a result of the rotation policy with Luke Steele, but the 23-year-old – who was brought to the club and became Netherlands No.1 under the Italian’s stewardship – insisted during that in-and-out phase of his career that it was a “privilege” to work under such a “brilliant manager”.

“He makes you want to work harder and harder and harder,” Verbruggen added. “He also prepares you for the games so well. He says stuff to you, like ‘You can expect this, you can expect that’. And then, come gameday, you see it happening in front of you.”

Tottenham have already been credited with interest in Verbruggen, along with Bayern Munich, and the general chaos brought by Guglielmo Vicario and That Night In Madrid for Antonin Kinsky will have left few in doubt at Spurs that a goalkeeping upgrade is required.

Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton): £30m

There’s a fair chance De Zerbi sees plenty of himself in Van Hecke.

“I think the most important quality of JP is the balance between the arrogance and the confidence in himself. He is not arrogant but his confidence in himself is high, high, high.”

Though we would argue De Zerbi fails to toe that particular line quite as successfully as the centre-back there’s evidently a chemistry between the pair and respect that goes both ways as Van Hecke hailed De Zerbi for “making me a better player every day” – a common theme of praise among the Italian’s former players; an encouraging one for Tottenham fans.

Van Hecke has caught Liverpool eyes through his performances this season – his quality in finding passes between the lines in particular – and chances are Spurs are going to need one, if not two, new centre-backs amid significant doubt over the futures of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

Carlos Baleba (Brighton): £48m

It’s fair to say he’s taken his eye off the ball following interest in his services in the summer; some might suggest having watched his slump this term that Baleba’s head hasn’t stopped spinning since it was turned by Manchester United and the £100m Brighton rebuke after the Red Devils approached them at the end of the transfer window.

He’s been as off his game as Moises Caicedo was for a brief time following the nine-figure scramble for his services; the key difference being Baleba’s defensive midfield predecessor had already secured his move to Chelsea.

Baleba’s most eye-catching displays came after De Zerbi had left the club but the Italian insisted after signing the midfielder from Lille for £23m that he could “be our new Caicedo” and Spurs could really, really do with half a Caicedo, let alone the full whack.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Marseille): £16m

Sure, Tottenham could perhaps have done with the 133 goals Harry Kane has scored in the 136 games he’s played for Bayern Munich since leaving his boyhood club, but Ange Postecoglou led them to fifth in the Premier League the season after the striker selfishly decided to go and win some silverware.

Spurs’ demise can actually be traced back to the point when Hojbjerg upped sticks to Marseille. A relegation battle this season has followed a 17th-placed finish last term and we put that almost entirely down to the departure of their oft-maligned midfield warrior.

Danny Welbeck (Brighton): £3.5m

We can hear the scoffs and sense the raised eyebrows but 35 is the new 30 and Welbeck scored more Premier League goals (10) than any Tottenham striker last season, while his 12 so far this term outstrips Richarlison (9) who currently leads the way for Spurs.

Former Tottenham winger Chris Waddle is “really concerned” about Spurs’ potential relegation and has criticised the club for signing Conor Gallagher.

Tottenham are currently just one point above the relegation zone with seven Premier League matches left and are at serious risk of spending next season in the Championship.

Interim boss Igor Tudor left by mutual consent on Sunday and Tottenham are now reportedly set to appoint Roberto De Zerbi on a long-term contract.

Former England winger Waddle is not convinced a new manager will solve any of their issues immediately and has questioned the club over the signing of Gallagher – who was being tracked by Man Utd – in the winter.

Waddle told 10bet: “Where do Tottenham go from here? It’s looking like the Championship. I’m really concerned and worried about what is happening at the football club.

“I cannot believe a club of that size are in the position that they’re in. After the result against Forest, Tottenham are basically the favourites for that third relegation spot.

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“Hopefully three or four players will come back [after the international break], but are they good enough? Will it be enough?

“That’s the big question for Tottenham: Are the players good enough and do they have the bottle for a relegation fight? Can they roll up their sleeves?

“I’m not convinced that this group of players have got enough about them to stop the rot. Tottenham are miles off the pace.

“The players need to take some responsibility, but the main culprit are the board and leadership of the club. They haven’t invested money in players; they’re always buying for the future, but Tottenham need better players for the now.”

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Waddle added: “I don’t think a new manager at Tottenham changes a thing. The players aren’t good enough and that isn’t going to change if a new manager comes in.

“I’m looking at the squad, looking at individuals that don’t look like they’ve got the stomach or the ability to pull the club out of the hole it’s in.

“Tottenham have the best stadium in the country and the best training facilities. They don’t have the best players and until the board changes its recruitment policy, then the club will always struggle. They won’t ever be able to challenge at the top end of the table.

“Look at the recruitment. £35m for Conor Gallagher in January. No disrespect to Gallagher, but if Atletico were happy to let him go after a season and a half, then alarm bells should be ringing.

“Don’t blame the manager for Tottenham’s problems. It isn’t Igor Tudor’s fault. The people that run the club must take responsibility.

“Tottenham are in a fight. They’ve got seven games to save their season. The only people that can save them now are the players.

“Am I confident they will do it? Nothing I’ve seen from this group of players convinces me that Tottenham will be playing Premier League football next season.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur have reached an ‘agreement’ with Roberto De Zerbi and three key players have reacted to his arrival.

It has been widely reported during this international break that Spurs have been working hard on securing a suitable replacement for former boss Igor Tudor, who officially departed the club at the end of last week.

Tudor’s position became untenable following Tottenham‘s damaging 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. This was their fifth loss in seven games under the former Juventus boss, and it leaves them only one point clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

The north London side have been linked with several potential replacements for Tudor, though it has also been reported that De Zerbi has been above all as their favourite option.

READ: Top 10 issues De Zerbi and Tottenham must instantly address to try and avoid calamity

It initially seemed that this appointment would be unlikely as De Zerbi looked set to wait until the summer to return to management after leaving Marseille at the start of this year.

However, it emerged on Tuesday that De Zerbi had changed his tune on joining Spurs now, with the head coach nearing an agreement with the Premier League strugglers for four key reasons.

And on Wednesday afternoon, it emerged that a deal to bring De Zerbi is nearly finalised, with talkSPORT’s Alex Crook reporting an ‘agreement is in place’ between the two parties.

Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, meanwhile, has stated that there are a ‘few final details to iron out’, but there is a ‘definitive approval’ for this appointment.

And our colleagues at TEAMtalk have revealed how three Spurs players have reacted to this appointment and why club chiefs have chosen him.

The report claims:

‘Tottenham’s leadership team within their first-team squad, believed to comprise defenders Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and midfield playmaker James Maddison, are all very much ‘excited’ by his arrival and believe his appointment gives the club their best chance at survival.’

Before reports revealed an ‘agreement’ for De Zerbi, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano named two alternatives the club considered.

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Romano said: “I told you to keep an eye on De Zerbi because he has always been one of the main names under consideration. Marco Silva was also discussed, but at this stage he is not leaving Fulham before the end of the season.

“From the beginning of this process, the club’s preference has been clear. De Zerbi has always been highly rated internally, even earlier in the season when managerial plans were first being considered.

“There was also a discussion involving Mauricio Pochettino, but that situation is complicated due to his commitments with the United States national team and the upcoming World Cup.

“De Zerbi is currently available, and his tactical quality, leadership style, and strong relationship with players are all factors that Tottenham appreciate.”