Credit: Imago

Daniel Lewis

Wed 29 April 2026 9:15, UK

Roberto De Zerbi is likely to take a pay cut should Tottenham suffer relegation from the Premier League.

The Italian was appointed as Tottenham’s third manager of the season earlier this month, following the failed tenures of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.

De Zerbi signed a five-year deal to the surprise of many, which is reported to make him the third-highest paid manager in the division.

But there is real uncertainty over what will happen next should Tottenham drop into the Championship for next season.

A new update has now emerged on the managerial situation at Spurs.

Roberto De Zerbi plan in place should Tottenham go down

De Zerbi is thought to be on a salary of £50million at Tottenham across the duration of the five years, which is a huge sum.

It is also a sum Spurs simply cannot afford to pay if they are in the second tier, even if only for a season, due to the massive drop in external income.

However, according to Alex Crook via talkSPORT, there is a plan in place for the 46-year-old to take a cut to his salary should the worse-case scenario come true.

“I think there would be a pay cut coming his way if they don’t stay up, but he said he was committed for the long haul and he signed a five-year contract,” Crook said.

“I think if they do go down, it won’t be De Zerbi’s fault or even Igor Tudor, it will be on the hierarchy for sticking with Thomas Frank for too long.”

Crook is correct in saying De Zerbi won’t be at fault if Spurs go down, but at the same time this is a risky game that is being played.

As good a coach as De Zerbi is, would he necessarily be the right man to oversee an extremely gruelling Championship campaign?

The hope is that this will not matter, of course, as Tottenham still have four games to save themselves from the drop.

How does De Zerbi’s record compare to Tottenham predecessors?

De Zerbi has so far overseen a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, a 2-2 draw with Brighton and then a 1-0 win at Wolves last weekend.

That was Spurs’ first victory since December and quite simply has to act as a springboard to push on, with Aston Villa to come on Sunday.

De Zerbi’s win rate, albeit over an extremely small scale so far, is 33.3 per cent. For context, Tudor had a 14.3 per cent win rate across his seven-game tenure.

Frank, meanwhile, departed with a 34.2 per cent win rate. That is similar to De Zerbi’s return, but you would hope the Italian’s record will only get better over time.

As well as facing Aston Villa, Spurs also take on Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton over the next few weeks.

Two wins from those four matches could well be enough to finish above West Ham, which would ensure it is job done for De Zerbi.