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LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR HAVE confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their permanent head coach on a “long-term” deal.
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.”
Spurs parted company with Igor Tudor on Sunday afternoon after five defeats in seven matches during a shambolic 44-day reign.
Tudor was hired as interim boss after the dismissal of Thomas Frank on 11 February, but Tottenham’s precarious position in the Premier League has forced the club to turn to a permanent head coach with seven games left, and De Zerbi has agreed to take over after days of negotiations.
The appointment of De Zerbi will not be universally popular among the Spurs fanbase after three supporter groups on Friday urged the north London club not to appoint him due to his past association with Mason Greenwood at Marseille.
Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane, and Spurs Reach all expressed their concerns with ‘No to De Zerbi’ statements.
Former Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour, and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.
In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”
Even without a potentially split fanbase, De Zerbi faces an enormous job at Tottenham given they are one point above the bottom three after a 13-match winless run in the Premier League.
A 3-0 home loss to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest earlier this month piled more pressure on an injury-hit Spurs side, who have won only two of their last 22 league fixtures to become embroiled in a shock battle to stay in the top flight.
Tottenham’s gamble to turn to former Brighton boss De Zerbi has, for the time being, ruled out an emotional return of old manager Mauricio Pochettino, but key figures at the club will hope it is a price worth paying if it secures Premier League status come the final day of the season on 24 May.
Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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