Tottenham make shock De Zerbi approach as new manager appointment takes twist
Tottenham are busy searching for an Ange Postecoglou replacement, as Roberto De Zerbi now emerges as an option.
De Zerbi has impressed since his move to France, where he guided Marseille to a second-place finish in Ligue 1, behind UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Spurs fans will better remember the Italian from his time at Brighton, where his side’s front-foot and aggressive approach in games earned plenty of plaudits across the footballing world.
Tottenham, who are looking to make a swift appointment following their dismissal of Postecoglou on Friday (6 June), have been heavily linked with Brentford’s Thomas Frank.
However, the club have also approached De Zerbi about their newly vacant position, as the hunt for Postecoglou’s replacement takes a twist in North London.
De Zerbi rejected Spurs to stay with Marseille
Tottenham indicated in their statement on Friday (6 June) that an update on the next manager would follow in due course.
Daniel Levy will be hoping to avoid a repeat of Spurs’ protracted search for a manager in 2021, which led to Nuno Espirito Santo’s ill-fated appointment, and have identified De Zerbi as a person of interest.
| Club | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against |
| Marseille | 21 | 5 | 10 | 82 | 52 |
However, despite De Zerbi indicating that he would like to return to the Premier League, Fabrizio Romano reported via X (7 June) that the 46-year-old has rejected Spurs’ approach as he wishes to remain with Marseille.
This will come as a blow for Levy, who is in hot water after taking the unpopular position to remove the man who guided Tottenham to the UEFA Europa League.
The Lilywhites chairman will likely now double down on his approach for Frank, and is willing to pay Brentford’s release clause to prize their main man away from West London.
Spurs may have avoided ticking time-bomb
On a purely footballing basis, De Zerbi could have been an astute acquisition for Tottenham based on his footballing philosophy aligning with the way the North London side wishes to play.
However, the combustible nature of the Marseille boss could have posed Tottenham, and especially Levy, problems further down the line.
De Zerbi is outspoken and very demanding, both from the players and the staff, and could have caused a ruckus at a time when Tottenham need a more stable and reassuring voice to guide them through the testing times ahead.