Roberto De Zerbi handed greater control as Tottenham payout already in millions for manager

Roberto De Zerbi has been granted increased control of Tottenham Hotspur's operations after guiding them to Premier League safety.

That's according to John Wenham, speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, after recent reports in Germany have claimed Sebastian Kehl won't be taking up a director role with the Lilywhites.

The former Borussia Dortmund chief was reportedly at one stage Spurs' leading candidate to fill their newly created vacancy on the board.

Kehl, 46, made over 360 appearances for Dortmund and earned 31 caps for Germany as a player, before becoming sporting director at Dortmund in June 2021.

It was announced that he'd left that role in March 2026 by mutual consent, and has since looked set to join Tottenham in his latest boardroom position.

However, that no longer seems to be happening, with reports claiming that De Zerbi had a lot do with his collapsed move to N17.

Roberto De Zerbi banks seven-figure bonus as Tottenham influence grows

De Zerbi was the toast of Tottenham following the conclusion of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The Italian proved to be Spurs' knight in shining armour, rescuing them from the brink of an unfathomable relegation to the Championship.

Penning a five-year contract to take on the seemingly poisoned-chalice job in March of this year, De Zerbi had the antidote to Spurs' problems on the pitch.

Now armed with that long-term deal, the 47-year-old looks to be growing in power and influence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he seemingly has the final say on who Spurs' new director will be.

"We saw the reports coming from Germany that Sebastian Kehl will not be joining Tottenham," Wenham exclusively said.

“It’s said that De Zerbi was the one who wasn’t in agreement with Kehl joining, and it seems that not only has he received a £3million bonus for keeping Tottenham in the league, which is pocket change compared to what we would have missed out on for going down, but it seems like he’s been given greater control.

“It’s going to be a sporting director that he’s completely aligned with and someone he’s worked with before, which is why those links to Paul Winstanley, who worked with him at Brighton before he went to Chelsea, have re-emerged.

“There was talk about Dougie Friedman again, but, he’s out in Saudi on a huge amount of money, so it’s very difficult to prise him over, but I’m quite pleased that the Sebastian Kehl thing isn’t happening.”

Is granting De Zerbi additional power a smart move?

There's that old saying in football, isn't there: 'no single person is bigger than the club'.

Whoever the wise old soul was who first coined that ideology was right, and that sentiment will always ring true.

However, like those times in school were you ran the risk of reprimand for allowing your smarter friend to complete your homework, sometimes, putting your own fate in another's hands is a risk worth taking.

Tottenham have previously been set on doing things their own way at boardroom level, turfing out coaches who started to speak their mind.

Perhaps, though, with recent hierarchical change and the sobering wake-up call that 2025-26 brought, this will no longer be the case in N17 moving forward.

De Zerbi is a 'my way or the highway' sort of character, and if too much autonomy is placed in the wrong manager's hands, this can spell danger and discontent.

What De Zerbi also is, is a fantastic coach who proved at Brighton that he knows exactly what it takes to construct a quality Premier League operation.

So, whilst he may rub some up the wrong way, giving more power to De Zerbi to shape Tottenham's future, both on and off the pitch, could be a very shrewd move indeed.