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Tottenham have confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach.

He has been given a five-year contract, but all eyes are on the remainder of this season as he has been charged with keeping the club in the Premier League.

Spurs are one point and one place above the relegation zone with seven matches to play – the next of which is at Sunderland on Sunday week. There is no break clause in De Zerbi’s deal if Tottenham go down.

“I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world,” the Italian said.

“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.”

Spurs knew they had to part ways with their interim manager, Igor Tudor, after the home loss to Nottingham Forest on the Sunday before last, although the situation came to be coloured by personal tragedy.

Tudor learned of the death of his father, Mario, after the Forest game, and Spurs had to show sensitivity as he began to grieve. The club waited until Sunday before announcing his departure by mutual consent.

Tudor took one point from his five league matches after stepping in to replace Thomas Frank on 14 February.

Tottenham had started to explore contingencies for Tudor’s departure after his team slumped to a miserable home defeat against Crystal Palace on 5 March, and, at that point, De Zerbi was adamant he would not return to management until the summer, having left Marseille on 11 February. He needed a break after a turbulent spell at the French club.

Spurs had thought about appointing De Zerbi on several previous occasions, including in the summer of 2023 when they ended up turning to Ange Postecoglou, and after they sacked Frank on 11 February. Back then, it was not only De Zerbi’s refusal to jump straight back into work that influenced things.

Spurs were worried about the optics of his backing of Mason Greenwood, whom he signed at Marseille. The striker was charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault in 2022.

The Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the case after key witnesses withdrew their involvement and “new material came to light”. Spurs supporter groups made clear they did not want De Zerbi – a stance that has endured. Spurs indicated then that De Zerbi would not be an option. They have effected a U-turn.

So has De Zerbi in terms of returning to work during the season. He accepts that the situation at Spurs is a long way from ideal, but he was convinced by the strength and passion of their play for him, the financial package, and the extent to which he will be allowed to shape the squad in the transfer market.

De Zerbi concluded that it was too good an opportunity to pass up, being handed the keys to one of the wealthiest clubs in Europe.

Perhaps it also entered his thoughts that Tottenham might look to reappoint their former manager, Mauricio Pochettino, in the summer.

Pochettino is under contract with the USA side until after the World Cup finals tournament. By going to Spurs, now De Zerbi has essentially headed him off, although the club’s sporting director, Johan Lange, said that De Zerbi “was our No 1 target for the summer and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now”.

De Zerbi has a reputation as a top‑level coach, admired by many of his peers – mainly for his daring and aggressive possession‑based approach and his ability to innovate.

Towards the end of De Zerbi’s first season at Brighton in 2022‑23 the Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, described him as “one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years”.

De Zerbi enjoyed success at Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk before he went to Brighton, where his first season was sensational.

He led the club to sixth in the Premier League – their highest finish – and qualification to the Europa League; another club first. They lost in the FA Cup semi-final on penalties against Manchester United.

In 2024-25, his first season at Marseille, De Zerbi finished second in Ligue 1 and qualified for the Champions League. When he departed, his 57% win ratio was the highest of any coach at the club this century.

De Zerbi’s reputation for volatility also precedes him, even if it is a part of how he energises a dressing room.

Spurs have done their due diligence on his time at Brighton, and they have been told how difficult he became towards the end of his second season, having publicly questioned the club’s ambition.

It felt as if he engineered his own departure. His spell at Marseille was pockmarked by blow-ups with players.

The most immediate question at Spurs will concern whether De Zerbi can hit the ground running – because time is of the essence. At Brighton, he took over in September 2022 from Graham Potter with the team fourth.

He failed to win any of his first five games, taking just two points, before his methods started to get home.

It is interesting to reflect on an interview with Lewis Dunk, De Zerbi’s captain at Brighton. “If I’m being honest, the first couple of weeks were horrendous … actually, I wouldn’t say horrendous, they were baffling,” Dunk said in September 2023. “He knows that we have spoken about it.

“Training changed dramatically. We worked on a lot of different stuff, and the first couple of weeks were a really hard transition. We were fourth when Graham left, and we were flying with him, and it was a strange time for him to go.

Then Roberto came in and [it was] a carnage for two weeks.”