Credit: Imago

Declan Carr

Wed 8 April 2026 17:10, UK

Roberto De Zerbi may have won over some Tottenham Hotspur fans already with his plans for the rest of the season.

The former Brighton manager came into the North London club facing serious issues, as they sit 17th in the Premier League.

He has to turn their form around, with seven matches left to play, otherwise they are in very real danger of being relegated to the Championship.

Then, planning for the long-term future can start, but the immediate focus is on improving results and escaping the survival battle.

Tottenham have got their man in the door, and his early work has already left some observers singing his praises.

What has De Zerbi done already at Tottenham?

John Wenham has been left impressed after what he has already seen from De Zerbi at Tottenham, despite him not managing a game yet.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “It does seem like the pictures of the players, the training sessions seem really good, there’s been reports coming out that the players for that session have been really good.

“They’re coming away from it, buzzing and happy, there are a lot of smiling faces, even Micky van de Ven and others who have painted a sort of gloomy picture for some parts of the season, now all seem to be buying into De Zerbi and his coaching staff, which is obviously a good sign.

“It’s something we need because there’s no time for an adaptation period. I think he was quite clever in his in-house media interview, where he basically said he’s got his principles and he’s got his way of playing, but at the moment, we’re just going to be focusing on the basics to get wins over the line.

“He used slightly different words, but that was the idea that maybe over pre-season we can build into his philosophy and his style of play a little bit more.

“But at the moment, he’s just going to be going back to basics and just trying to get as many points on the board as possible between now and the end of the season.”

Why is what De Zerbi has done so impressive?

It would have been easy for him to come in and try to implement his methods straight away, which could have harmed Spurs’ chances of staying up.

However, he has recognised that, and instead will approach the situation pragmatically, playing to the strengths of the current squad.

That is the right way to go about it, given the potential consequences if it was to go wrong, that is why it is so impressive.