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

The Italian joins on a five-year contract, subject to a work permit.

De Zerbi has been out of work since leaving Marseille in February, where he finished runners-up in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain in 2024/25, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in the process.

The French club were fourth in Ligue 1 at the time of his departure earlier this year.

In a club statement, De Zerbi 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.” – Roberto De Zerbi

Sporting Director Johan Lange added:

“Roberto was our number one target for the summer and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.

“He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football, and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League.” – Johan Lange

OUTLOOK

De Zerbi becomes the third Tottenham boss of the season, after Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor’s exits.

They are currently 17th in the table, just one point outside of the relegation zone, having failed to win since the turn of the year.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion boss, who mostly used a 4-2-3-1 at Marseille, consequently faces a huge task to keep his new club up.

With just seven top-flight games left to play, it’s a mixed bag of fixtures for Spurs.

Sunderland are up next in Gameweek 32, who have lost their last three matches at the Stadium of Light, followed by a home game against De Zerbi’s former club Brighton.

Their remaining fixtures are home matches against Leeds United and Everton, and trips to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Unless there are some freak (e.g. weather-related) postponements, Spurs won’t have a Blank Gameweek or Double Gameweek.

We’ll have a more detailed Scout Report to come on De Zerbi in the coming days.