Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Tue 24 March 2026 13:00, UK

Roberto De Zerbi is one of the favourites to take over at Tottenham Hotspur following the impending sacking of Igor Tudor.

The Croatian manager did not bring the required results, with ENIC said to be readying an early decision over his interim spell.

Football Insider has reported that Tudor will be sacked in the next 24 hours, with De Zerbi the likely candidate to take over on a full-time basis.

The Italian is out of a job since mutually terminating his contract at Marseille, following the French club’s Champions League exit and a heavy 5-0 defeat to PSG.

Now, here is everything you need to know about the potential next Tottenham manager.

Roberto De Zerbi emerges as favourite for Tottenham job

As per the major bookmakers, De Zerbi is now priced at 1/2 to become the next permanent Tottenham manager.

The Italian has previous experience in the Premier League, having managed Brighton between 2022 and 2024.

The Italian was routinely praised for his playstyle at the Seagulls but had his contract mutually terminated due to “irreconcilable differences”, cited to be mainly based on Brighton’s recruitment strategy.

De Zerbi is often outspoken against the owners of his employers, which may be a negative for Tottenham.

What is Roberto De Zerbi’s tactical approach?

Many Tottenham fans may already be aware of De Zerbi’s style of play based on his two seasons in England, but for those who don’t, the Italian likes to deploy a possession-based style.

The former Brighton manager has often used a 4-2-3-1 setup but is open to utilising a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 when he sees fit.

During build-up, De Zerbi looks to invite pressure from the opposition before pushing the ball out wide and then attempting to exploit the central spaces his side has opened up through short-passing at the back.

This will require his defenders to be comfortable both on the ball and while under pressure.

There is a big emphasis on the double pivot he deploys with those midfielders acting as the bait to draw the opposition to press higher.

The spaces that open up allow his number 10, or striker, to receive the ball in space while his wingers hold their width to stretch the opposition’s defence.

How could Roberto De Zerbi line up at Tottenham?

De Zerbi would be arriving in N17 with plenty of injury issues subsiding, with Mohamed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Ben Davies expected to return following the international break.

Two of those three would likely be in De Zerbi’s plans, with Kudus providing pace and ball-carrying out wide and Bentancur a composed and technical player on the ball, able to drop deep to spread the play.

Conor Gallagher has been known to be excellent while pressing and would be more press-resistant than a Joao Palhinha.

At the back, the pace of Udogie would be highly attractive to the former Brighton manager, who uses his wide players to great effect.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven would be his likely pairing at the back, with the duo the most accurate passers among the options in North London.

Xavi Simons would become a key figure under De Zerbi, becoming a focal point within Tottenham’s attack, with Dominic Solanke chosen to score the goals for Spurs.

No matter who is selected, though, they need to take a long look at themselves if they want to survive a possible Premier League relegation, De Zerbi or not.