Credit: Imago and talkSPORT

Richie Mills

Tue 31 March 2026 14:00, UK

Simon Jordan believes Tottenham Hotspur are “clowns” if they bend to prospective manager Roberto De Zerbi’s every demand.

Tottenham have reportedly entered into advanced talks with De Zerbi following the dismissal of interim manager Igor Tudor.

It is said that the Italian previously wanted to take over in the summer but Tottenham are stepping up their efforts to agree an immediate deal, with talk of a five-year contract in the works.

The former Brighton head coach faces a huge challenge on his hands if appointed, with the 46-year-old tasked with steadying a Spurs ship that is one place and one point above the relegation zone.

If De Zerbi is sworn in, the ex-Marseille boss may keep the north London team in the Premier League. But former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan thinks it is unwise to give De Zerbi carte blanche at Tottenham.

Tottenham being held at ransom, says Simon Jordan

De Zerbi has developed a reputation of being a talented but volatile coach, who has fallen out with club hierarchies in the past.

At Brighton, he left in 2024 after a disagreement with owner Tony Bloom over their transfer policy but did secure European football for the first time in the club’s history in 2023.

De Zerbi has had eight managerial posts in the space of 13 years. Therefore, Jordan thinks that giving De Zerbi a five-year deal at Tottenham is foolhardy.

He said on talkSPORT: “The state Spurs have got themselves in, in terms of having to be held up against the wall and absolutely metaphorically bent over by a manager that doesn’t really stay anywhere for longer than two years at the best of times.

“I don’t know why anyone would want to be handing out five-year contracts to managers that you don’t have a relationship with. They’ll have to get this clown in to fix a problem for the next seven games and give him an absolute king’s ransom to do it, and then guaranteed in 18 months fall out of them.

“He’ll be their saviour but they’ll all be clowns together they’ll be all riding around the same car.

“Every aspect of my commercial mindset bristles against the idea that this is not a negotiation this isn’t a commercial discussion this is Tottenham Hotspur being told what they’re going to do by a manager. That won’t sit well in the longer game.

“I don’t think he should be getting a five-year contract and I certainly don’t think the saucy sod should be getting a relegation get out of jail card but he will and they will and they’ll do it and so they might as well get on with it just give him what he wants.”

Tottenham financial hit from relegation would be unimaginable

If Spurs get relegated, Tottenham could suffer a financial loss of upwards of £250million, despite all of former executive chairman Daniel Levy’s efforts to make them profitable.

In the 2024-25 season, estimates suggest they made £130m in matchday revenue, £166m from broadcasting deals, £285m from commercial – working out as a combined £581m.

And if they dropped into the Championship, football finance expert Stefan Borson thinks it would be catastrophic for the club.

He said last week: “It’s obviously going to be the largest one-year dip in revenue of any football club ever, anywhere in the world.

“It is not a normal situation for a club of Tottenham’s size to lose Premier League status and to go from the Champions League to zero overnight, which is what would happen if they were relegated.”

That may be why they are going all out to recruit a coveted manager such as De Zerbi.