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'I joined Sunderland after not playing for Tottenham - now I'm out to ruin De Zerbi debut'

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi will encounter a former player of his new club during his first game in charge against Sunderland

Dennis Cirkin will be aiming to spoil Roberto De Zerbi's first match in the Tottenham dugout when they face Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday. The ex-Spurs academy prospect departed for the Stadium of Light in 2021 without featuring for the senior side at his boyhood club.

The 24-year-old was included in two Europa League matchday squads by Jose Mourinho in late 2020 but never entered the action. Cirkin was considered a promising talent within the academy and amongst Tottenham supporters, yet injury problems and the arrival of Sergio Reguilon denied him any playing time.

He subsequently joined the Black Cats before the 2021/22 campaign and played a crucial role in their ascent from League One. He sustained multiple injuries during the next season but still featured 28 times in the Championship.

Persistent muscular problems, one requiring an operation, meant Cirkin was absent for most of the 2023/24 campaign, though he returned emphatically the subsequent year as Sunderland secured Premier League promotion in thrilling circumstances at Wembley.

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His displays and Spurs' shortage of club-trained players for their Champions League comeback sparked speculation about bringing Cirkin back to north London.

West Ham United's Kyle Walker-Peters was another former academy talent linked with a return, yet neither deal came to fruition, with the buyback clause for Cirkin having expired last summer. Spurs did insert a sell-on clause into the transfer, but he stayed put at Sunderland.

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A mass squad overhaul has left Cirkin with precious little game time at the top level of English football, though he'll be hoping to make an impact against his former side this weekend.

He strung together five successive Premier League starts in January, including 59 minutes against his old club during a period when several Sunderland players were away at AFCON, yet he has managed just five minutes of action since early February.

A minor injury setback played its part in that, though he has since returned to fitness and was named among the unused substitutes for the landmark Tyne-Wear Derby victory over Newcastle United before the international break, having also come off the bench against Brighton.

Cirkin has had precious few chances to demonstrate his abilities, making it all the more significant if he does get on the pitch against his former employers this weekend.

For De Zerbi, it represents a crucial opening match as Spurs boss as the club battles to preserve their Premier League status. The Italian has had at least a fortnight to get to grips with portions of his squad, but the anticipated injury returns ahead of the trip north appear unlikely to materialise despite the extended break.

Roberto De Zerbi has already made his mark on Tottenham Hotspur's training sessions after ten days working with the Spurs squad before his first match in charge

Roberto De Zerbi has reportedly overhauled training at Tottenham, with sessions now looking markedly different to those under his predecessors, Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank. Spurs have spent ten days working alongside their new head coach ahead of their Premier League clash away at Sunderland.

Despite there being three weeks between their last two fixtures owing to their exits in the Champions League and FA Cup, the Italian has refrained from scheduling double sessions during this period, restricting players to just one per day.

De Zerbi is said to have taken this approach to minimise the risk of injury. Mohammed Kudus, however, has since suffered a setback.

Spurs confirmed in an injury update on Thursday that "he had returned to team training during the past week, however, will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery."

The Daily Mail reports that De Zerbi has also extended training sessions beyond what they were under Tudor and Frank, with ball work being a constant throughout. The report further suggests that the new manager has taken an instant liking to six players, among them Kudus, whom he attempted to bring to Marseille when he was in charge at the French side.

Speaking about the Ghana international, he said: "I started not with too big luck, but yes, Kudus was in my head a crucial player, especially for the position, but we have to look forward anyway."

The other five players he highlighted were Cristian Romero, Mathys Tel, Micky van de Ven, Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison. The Italian added: "I think we have a lot of very good attackers, and we have to help them, to put them in the best condition to show their qualities.

"Because Kolo Muani, I know he's not playing a great season, but he's a good player. I know him, like Mathys Tel. I wanted him in Marseille when I was in Marseille. Xavi Simons is a big talent. Richarlison, [Dominic] Solanke, you know maybe better than me. We have to put them in the best condition we can."

Regarding the squad as a whole, De Zerbi said: "In the last period, I watched a lot of games, especially of Tottenham. Yes, one thing is to watch the game at home, and a different thing is to work with them on the pitch.

"We have very big players, young players, [Lucas] Bergvall, Archie Gray, Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons. We have older players that are very important. Van de Ven is a crucial player for me, like Romero, like [Pedro] Porro, like Solanke. I want to see again the same [Conor] Gallagher I loved at Chelsea.

"I think I'm lucky because I have a big confidence in my players, in their qualities. My target is to help them to play well, to enjoy with the ball, because their characteristics are very clear for me."

The immediate priority on the pitch is to climb out of the relegation zone, after West Ham United's victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday evening dragged Spurs into the bottom three. Nothing less than three points at the Stadium of Light will suffice, with West Ham now sitting two points clear of Tottenham, having played a game more.

Roberto De Zerbi begins his reign at Tottenham this weekend and has already been dealt an injury blow, making his task to keep Spurs in the Premier League even more challenging

Tottenham star Mohammed Kudus could require surgery after suffering a setback on his return from injury. Kudus, 25, has been out since January after injuring his quad during Spurs' 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland.

The Ghana international returned to training last week under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, who'll take charge of his first game this Sunday. But like seven of his team-mates, Kudus won't be involved after Tottenham confirmed that he's back on the sidelines.

Spurs said in a statement on Thursday: "We can confirm that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his return from injury. The Ghana international forward suffered a significant quad injury during our Premier League fixture against Sunderland in January.

"He had returned to team training during the past week, however will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery. We will provide any relevant further updates in due course."

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Kudus will be desperate to avoid a long layoff, both to help Tottenham in their fight to avoid relegation and represent Ghana at this summer's World Cup. His country have been placed in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama.

Back in North London, De Zerbi has been given a five-year contract and an immediate goal: to stay up. After Igor Tudor's nightmare seven-game spell, Spurs are 17th in the table, just one point and place above the relegation zone.

"I'm here now at the end of the season because we have to win the games," De Zerbi told club media. "In football, the style of play, the tactical disposition are important.

Will Roberto De Zerbi keep Tottenham up? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

"There is a mentality and I would like to help the players to reach the best mentality we can show. I signed five years of contract because, for me, it's a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what."

The former Brighton boss added: "In this moment, we have no time to work too much on more principles, but we have to know what we have to do on the pitch. We have to have a good organisation, with the ball, without the ball. We have to consider the qualities of the players."

Sean Dyche spells out Tottenham truth after manager links - 'What would I gain?'

Tottenham needed to act fast to find a new manager recently and have handed Roberto De Zerbi a hefty deal - but Sean Dyche maintains he would never have taken the role

Sean Dyche insists that no amount of money could've made him take the Tottenham job - although he admits he was never contacted about the vacancy.

The former Burnley and Nottingham Forest boss is out of a job having been axed at the City Ground earlier this season. The north Londoners moved on from Igor Tudor last month with the team facing a genuine threat of relegation and needing a new manager.

They moved quick to land Roberto De Zerbi, handing him a staggering five-year deal and making him one of the Premier League's highest paid managers. Dyche would not have accepted had the phone rang however, maintaining that no figure would've changed his mind.

The 53-year-old was reportedly on the club's radar given his impressive track record at keeping clubs in the top flight, but wouldn't have let finances drive his decision as he felt there was little to gain from taking charge of Tottenham.

He told talkSport: "They could offer me a massive amount of money, I’m sure they’re capable of it and allegedly they’ve offered [Roberto] De Zerbi a massive amount of money.

"It would have been about what are you [Spurs] going to help me gain as a human being. What would I gain? Let's say you go in there and get the job done [not get relegated], then next season if you’re not in the top four and the football’s not what they want, then you're rubbish and they want you out.

"So you’re not going to gain a lot there, are you? And that’s if you get the job done, because it’s not easy. If you don’t get the job done, then somehow it’s on my neck that I took Tottenham down."

Tottenham have been ever presents in the Premier League, but have endured a steep decline this season and are without a league win throughout 2026. Their most recent loss at the hands of Nottingham Forest, who left the capital as 3-0 winners, sounded major alarm bells.

The club's hierarchy had already sacked Thomas Frank and bought in Tudor, but he picked up just one point during his tenure, prompting them to make another change. De Zerbi's first game in charge will see him takes his Tottenham side to Sunderland.

Thomas Frank went easy on the Tottenham players and that is something the latest manager, Roberto De Zerbi, will surely avoid doing as he prepares for a seven-game relegation fight

This might be wide of the mark but my guess is that Roberto de Zerbi will not make extensive use of Thomas Frank’s padel court.

I might be completely wrong but De Zerbi does not look like the padel type. And we all know the padel type. They can’t stop telling you they play padel. Like vegans tell you they are vegan, or people who use air-fryers tell you they use air-fryers.

Nothing wrong with padel, of course - or veganism, or air-fryers, for that matter. But it is just a bit, er, nice. Frank was just a bit nice.

For a BBC interview when he was Brentford manager, Frank went to Gary Lineker’s home in Barnes and the pair shared a lunch cooked by the host. A crab starter was followed by sole meunière. Nice.

The accompanying, chilled white wine was unnamed, but it was probably a Chablis, or a Puligny-Montrachet perhaps. Nice. Barnes, in case you don’t know, is the homeland of posh bohemia. Nice.

Thomas Frank is nice. That does not mean he is not a good manager, he clearly is. But he was too nice for this collection of Tottenham Hotspur players.

A few must have had wry smiles on their faces when they saw him having padel courts built at the Spurs training ground.

Now they are up a creek, these players need a different character to paddle them out of it. And De Zerbi certainly strikes you as different to Frank.

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And, boy, do Spurs need an influential manager. They need the brilliant coach that so many of his contemporaries seem to think De Zerbi is.

But they also need someone to tell them some home truths, to rile them, to fall out with them, even. And De Zerbi has form for falling out with people, which is why the idea of him fulfilling a five-year deal at Spurs seems a bit fanciful.

He was not popular with everyone in the Brighton dressing-room - notably Leandro Trossard - and the same was true when he went to Marseille. He also had a few run-ins with the French media, prior to which were well-publicised differences with the Brighton board.

It might come across as an obvious simplification but this is what Spurs need right now. After Frank’s nice tenure and Igor Tudor’s bizarre, nondescript cameo, they need fire. They need a high-octane coach. Players need to know that there will be consequences if attitudes are not right.

And with De Zerbi in charge next season regardless of their fate this season, there will be consequences. The players will know that.

It has been a slightly odd start, with De Zerbi issuing an apology over his comments on one of his former employees, Mason Greenwood. But you get the feeling that will be the one and only time De Zerbi apologises as Spurs manager.

Saying sorry is generally a nice thing. And Spurs don’t need nice right now.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Lincoln City's incredible rise from non-league obscurity to potential Tottenham clash

Just nine years after being a non-league side, Lincoln City will play second-tier football for the first time since 1961 next season

At recent Lincoln City games, before promotion to the Championship was secured, a catchy chant has been ringing out - "Tottenham away, ole, ole." That's the away trip fans have got their eye on ahead of next season.

The Imps have fulfilled their part of the bargain by booking a place in the second tier for the first time since 1961 with almost a month of the season to spare. It remains to be seen whether Spurs will be one of their opponents in 2026/27.

Regardless, they will face a host of ex-Premier League sides. Nearby Nottingham Forest would be another dream match for supporters who must think they are living out some kind of fantasy.

Ten years ago, Lincoln, who dropped out of the Football League in 2011, were coming to the end of a season that saw them finish 13th in the National League. Their league rivals included Altrincham, Southport and Guiseley.

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The decade since has been remarkable, with now three promotions, a historic run to the FA Cup quarter-finals as a non-league side and winning the EFL Trophy at Wembley. After Wrexham, no side in English football has soared quicker than Lincoln in recent times. The Imps have done it in a rather more understated fashion than the attention-soaked north Wales side.

There are no A-list celebrity owners, no mega-bucks sponsorship deals with international airlines or media companies. In fact, a behind-the-scenes exposé of life at the LNER Stadium would be rather bland. That's a compliment, not a criticism.

As long-serving chief executive Liam Scully puts it: "It takes a village. It takes consistent behaviour. Arguably, boringly consistent behaviour over a length of time. We've been this broad version of us since 2019 and have rarely deviated from our plan. And when we have, we've slapped ourselves and corrected course."

Lincoln have got where they are through sensible decisions, a solid structure and investing what money they have in the right areas. After two promotions in three seasons in the late 2010s under the Cowley brothers, who left for Huddersfield in 2019, the Imps had started to put down roots in League One. There was a surprise run to the play-off final in the Covid season of 2020/21 but Lincoln had essentially become a mid-table side.

That was perfectly acceptable for a club that has spent the majority of its existence in the fourth tier. They were punching above their weight financially (they still are with what is believed to be the 18th-largest budget in League One).

After sacking Mark Kennedy following a mid-table finish in 2022/23, the club wanted a manager more in tune with its ethos of developing players tactically and technically. Step forward, Michael Skubala, the former England futsal coach and PE teacher, who was appointed in November 2023. Most Imps fans were asking, 'Michael who?'

At the time of his appointment, he had been under-21 boss at Leeds, having a brief spell as interim first-team boss following the sacking of Jesse Marsch. He'd also worked within the academies at Nottingham Forest and Coventry, and coached England U18s. A certain Gareth Southgate was a colleague for a period.

On appointing Skubala, Scully recalls: "He wanted to collaborate and he respected club structures. He talked about how he needed to adapt to the Lincoln City way and how we needed to work together."

Transfer model and future proofing

There's been continuity off the pitch. Scully and director of football Jez George have been in situ since the club's early days back in the Football League.

A clear transfer plan has been developed that includes taking younger players, developing them and then reaping the benefits. Take striker Jovan Makama, who was picked up as a 16-year-old after not making the grade at Derby County.

Last summer, he became the first-ever Lincoln player to fetch a fee in excess of £1million when he was sold to Norwich. Three other first-team regulars left but their absence has barely been felt.

Lincoln have raided the Irish market with success. Exciting midfielder Jack Moylan, 24, signed from Shelbourne, could attract interest this summer but the club have future-proofed by recently tying him to a new long-term contract.

The same goes for the head coach, who is under contract with the club until 2028. Lincoln have cast their net into mainland Europe too, with Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev, 24, arriving from Slovan Liberec and quickly becoming a cult figure with fans.

At the back, Lincoln have gone for experience with EFL veterans like Tendayi Darikwa, Sonny Bradley and Adam Reach (combined age: 101). Their nous has clearly rubbed off on the younger members of the squad, while the defence has been rock-solid. "They've been huge in setting standards," says George.

Skubala is a 'head coach' rather than an old-fashioned manager but every transfer still needs his approval. Scully asserts: "Michael and the coaching team have first and last say. It's genuinely collaborative. We've never brought in a player that the head coach doesn't agree with a signing.

"But the idea that the manager makes all the decisions and is the single point of success and failure, that's a dying methodology. At Lincoln City, that went out years ago."

On the club's transfer model, George explains: "It's been about finding players who are perhaps underrated and undervalued and having a model that allows them to be fantastic for us, but aren't sought by the clubs with the biggest budgets.

"That's why everything has to be joined up in terms of how we play, the type of players we need, whether they're available, how robust they are, because we're never going to have the biggest squad.

"It's the job of the coaches to make recruitment look good, and that's exactly what they've done because we've improved as the season has gone on."

It may sound trite but it truly has been a team effort. George adds: "Off the pitch, the credit goes to an unbelievable group of staff. On the pitch, it's exactly the same; we don't have a superstar.

"We have 10 or 12 candidates to be player of the year. We've had 19 different goalscorers. We're the top scorers in the league but not one player in double figures."

American investment

Yes, the Imps have American ownership too. South African businessman Clive Nates, a driving force behind the club's rise over the last decade, recently stepped aside as chairman (he's stayed on as co-vice chairman).

Ron Fowler, a former co-owner of the San Diego Padres baseball team, is now at the helm after increasing his stake in the club. He says he was attracted by the club's "David and Goliath mentality."

It'll be a case of evolution rather than revelation under Fowler. There'll be no bold statements like aiming for the Premier League, and that's just how the fans like it.

Sensible spending and happy fans

Having achieved their holy grail of reaching the Championship, the next, arguably tougher, task will be to stay there. There will naturally be fresh investment in the playing squad for the big step up, but no casino-style spending.

In a project driven by Fowler, the Imps will construct an impressive new fanzone ahead of next season, while a few extra seats will be bolted in to take the ground's capacity close to 11,000.

With average crowds of close to 10,000 this season, it won't be big enough next season but the club won't rush into an expensive expansion unless it makes financial sense.

Supporters like the 'no egos' approach on and off the pitch. Even before promotion was confirmed, 6,000 season tickets had been snapped up for next term. That faith has been rewarded with a place in the Championship and possibly even a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It's been claimed that Wireless Festival was a second option for Kanye West after a major London stadium refused to host the controversial rapper for a residency

Kanye West's UK comeback dreams were shattered after a swift rejection. The rapper has sparked controversy after it was confirmed he would be headlining all three nights of Wireless Festival this year.

The musician hasn't performed in the UK for 11 years, since he headlined Glastonbury Festival, but the news of his Wireless slot, announced last week, instantly sparked backlash. However, it has since emerged that Wireless, held in London's Finsbury Park, wasn't what the rapper, now known as Ye, had planned.

Instead, he wanted to host a residency at a very famous stadium, but when this was rejected, his team reached out to Wireless with an offer to headline the festival. Instead, Kanye wanted to headline Tottenham Hotspur's stadium – but bosses refused due to the club's connection to the Jewish community.

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A source has claimed that a residency at the stadium was the first thought West's team had, before Wireless became a second option. "As part of his big music comeback, they thought he warranted a headline run of shows and chose the Tottenham stadium as their venue of choice," a source told The Sun.

They added: "But when they approached Tottenham with their proposal, the club rejected it. There was no way they would allow Kanye to perform at the club, given its history with the Jewish community. They then made the proposal to Wireless, which accepted."

But since the announcement that West would headline the festival, leading sponsor Pepsi MAX decided to withdraw from its association. A source told us: "Following the mounting backlash surrounding the announcement and Sir Keir Starmer speaking out, Pepsi's position as festival sponsor became untenable. Festivals are about bringing people together; the only decision was to withdraw with Kanye West topping the bill."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the company said: "Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival." The Mirror can also reveal that another global drinks company, Diageo, behind Captain Morgan and Johnnie Walker, has also pulled out of sponsoring Wireless this year. A spokesperson said: "We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival."

In recent years, West has shared antisemitic views on social media, including a post claiming he wanted to "death con 3" on the Jewish community. West also went on to release a track titled Heil Hitler – as well as releasing t-shirts with a swastika on, leading Shopify, which hosted his site, to pull the platform.

The decision to book West for Wireless also prompted a response from Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He said the decision to host West at Finsbury Park was "deeply concerning" following his behaviour.

"Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears," Keir said. "Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe."

West apologised in January for his antisemitic comments in a letter published as a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal newspaper. In his letter, he said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into "a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life."

In his letter, West said he wasn't looking for "sympathy or a free pass"; instead, he wanted to "earn forgiveness."

The Mirror has approached representatives for West and Tottenham Hotspur.

Roberto De Zerbi has just seven games to maintain Tottenham Hotspur's top-flight status

Roberto De Zerbi was praised for making an instant impression at Brighton in a boost to hopes he can guide Tottenham Hotspur away from danger. The Italian put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the north London outfit earlier this week to succeed Igor Tudor, with Spurs embroiled in a relegation battle with only seven Premier League fixtures remaining this season.

With Spurs positioned 17th in the standings and merely one point and one place above West Ham, De Zerbi has been tasked with injecting fresh impetus into the struggling squad - and the clock is ticking.

But if Danny Welbeck's assessment is any indication, De Zerbi possesses the ability to swiftly introduce renewed vigour and vision, having achieved precisely that during his spell at Brighton.

The Seagulls striker previously discussed the start of the Italian's tenure at the club and disclosed he was immediately impressive. The former Manchester United and Arsenal striker told ESPN: "Straight away from day one he's been impressive with his charisma and his passion for the game.

"He's got an eye for fine detail, with every single pass and movement. He's really improved a lot of players - he gives everybody the opportunity to get on the pitch and show what they can do.

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"He's had a huge impact. It's not easy as we had a good manager before (Graham Potter). But Roberto's been unbelievable with the lads, with the dressing room and everybody around the club.

"His charisma and passion - you only get to see 20 per cent of what we see. We see it in everything he does: it's a joy to be working for this manager right now."

Having gone without a league victory since beating Crystal Palace 1-0 back in December, De Zerbi's first chance to steer Spurs away from the threat of relegation comes against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light next Sunday.

The 46-year-old outlined both his immediate and longer-term goals at Tottenham following the announcement of his appointment. 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." De Zerbi spent two seasons at Brighton before leaving the club at the end of the 2023/24 season and last managed Marseille, parting ways with the French giants in February.

A former Spurs star has lifted the lid on what it's like playing under Tottenham's new boss Roberto De Zerbi

Former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg heaped praise on new Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi. Hojbjerg departed north London on a permanent basis last summer following an initial loan campaign at Marseille, where he teamed up with the Italian.

The ex-Brighton manager had also arrived on the French coast in the summer of 2024. He parted ways with the Ligue 1 club in February by mutual agreement after a 5-0 hammering from Paris St-Germain and elimination from the Champions League by Club Brugge.

Hojbjerg was a regular fixture in De Zerbi's midfield throughout the 46-year-old's tenure at the club. In an interview with Onze Mondial back in November 2025, the Denmark international waxed lyrical about his then boss, and his comments will surely fuel excitement among the Tottenham faithful.

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"I've been lucky enough to have coaches like [Pep] Guardiola, José Mourinho, and Antonio Conte. And I put Roberto De Zerbi in the same category," he said.

"Over the next 20 years, coach De Zerbi is going to contribute enormously to football. And for me, it's an honour to work with him. The coach... I don't know how to explain it. He has a connection with the dressing room, he has an emotional relationship with the dressing room, Mourinho had the same thing.

"Roberto De Zerbi has a feel for the dressing room, he understands the atmosphere, he grasps the behaviours, he knows in advance what's going to happen the next day... (he pauses). Okay, I'll stop there, otherwise I'll end up saying too many wonderful things (smiles). It's an honour to work with such a coach, in any case."

Hojbjerg's comments mirror those of Brighton defender Lewis Dunk. The centre-half similarly praised De Zerbi in glowing terms, revealing how the manager has transformed his understanding of football, which will no doubt excite Spurs supporters about what lies ahead.

"I see football in a completely different way, I picture it in a different way and that is the biggest thing," Dunk said in 2023. "Football is not what I thought it was. Just how we play now. The idea of what I did before, I thought it made sense.

"But when you learn something completely different, you believe in it and this makes sense. You think, 'Why didn't I know this?' And, 'Why didn't I do this before?' The style of play, really. Before, I didn't really know about that. It's all about the finer details."

Reports suggested that De Zerbi initially wanted to delay accepting the Spurs position until the summer. Nevertheless, he was persuaded to take charge straight away during talks with the club's top brass.

He's now amongst the Premier League's best-paid bosses following a lucrative five-year contract. Concerns that the Italian could depart should Spurs suffer relegation this campaign have also been dismissed by the new head coach.

"I signed five years of contract because, for me, it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what," De Zerbi said upon his announcement.

"Tottenham, especially in this moment, is maybe the the most important challenge in my career - I'm ready to start this challenge. It's a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham but I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment."

Roberto De Zerbi has been appointed Tottenham's third manager of the season, with Spurs in danger of suffering their first relegation since 1977 - but he'll be sticking around come what may

New Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has vowed that he'll be in charge of Spurs next season 'no matter what'. De Zerbi, 46, has signed a five-year deal in North London but can't afford to waste time.

Tottenham are just one point above the relegation zone with seven games to play, explaining why the former Brighton boss has become their third manager of the season. Spurs recently parted ways with Igor Tudor, who succeeded Thomas Frank in February, after only five Premier League matches.

Initially, De Zerbi wanted to wait until the summer to take the job, but he was convinced otherwise during negotiations with the club hierarchy, who've made him one of the Premier League's highest-paid managers. It was presumed that the Italian wouldn't be willing to manage in the Championship, but comments in his first interview since being announced on Tuesday suggest not.

"I believe in the players, I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have very big players and we have to work on their confidence and their qualities," De Zerbi stated. "I signed a five-year contract because for me, it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season no matter what."

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Those three words will bear weight if Spurs fail to avoid the drop and find themselves playing in the second tier for the first time in 48 years. De Zerbi's first game in charge is away to Sunderland next Sunday, and Tottenham are worrying still yet to win a Premier League match in 2026.

Come kick-off, they could be in the relegation zone. Nevertheless, their new boss is confident that he'll win enough games to steer them to safety.

"I am very happy to be here," De Zerbi added. "I consider Tottenham to be one of the most important clubs in the world and so I am very happy.

Will Tottenham get relegated? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

"I have a big responsibility, but it is a big challenge for me and I look forward to starting and working with the players, and to win some games. I have watched a lot of games, especially in the last period.

"I know very well the players, I love football, so I watch many, many games per week. I know everything, I know it is a tough moment for Tottenham but I think we have the right qualities to come out from this moment."