Tottenham are closing in on Roberto De Zerbi. According to The Athletic and Talksport, talks have progressed to the point where Spurs are offering a lucrative long-term deal to get the Italian through the door now — not after they know whether they've survived, but now.
That last part matters. De Zerbi's reported hesitation wasn't about the project or the money. It was about the division. Taking a job where relegation is a coin flip is a very different proposition to rebuilding a stable Premier League side. The fact he appears to be moving past that reluctance either means the terms are exceptional, or he genuinely believes he can drag them clear. Maybe both.
How Tottenham got here
The sequence of managerial decisions at Spurs in the last 12 months is almost hard to follow. Ange Postecoglou won them the Europa League — their first trophy in 17 years — then got sacked anyway after finishing 17th in the league. Thomas Frank came in, went two wins from 17 games, and was gone by February. Igor Tudor lasted 44 days and seven games as interim. Now De Zerbi.
Each appointment has been a reaction to the last failure rather than a coherent plan. That pattern doesn't disappear with a new manager.
What makes De Zerbi the right call on paper is his track record in England. His two years at Brighton between 2022 and 2024 showed he can build something with limited resources, play attractive football, and get performances out of players who aren't household names. Spurs have considerably more to work with — a 63,000-seat stadium, a state-of-the-art training ground, and revenues that put them in the top 10 richest clubs in world football.
None of that stops them being one point above the relegation zone with seven games left.
Seven games to save 48 years of top-flight status
Tottenham haven't played outside the top flight since 1977-78. That's not a fun trivia fact right now — it's the weight sitting on this appointment. De Zerbi would be walking into a club that hasn't won a Premier League game in 2026, with a squad that has visibly lost confidence and a fanbase that is somewhere between furious and resigned.
Relegation survival odds on Spurs will shift the moment this appointment is confirmed, but which way probably depends on how quickly De Zerbi can change the mood. A new manager bounce is real, but it only works if the players buy in fast. Seven games is not a long runway.
Tottenham are hoping to have their man in place well before the trip to Sunderland on April 12. At this point, every day without a permanent manager is another day of drift they can't afford.
