Tottenham have finally landed Roberto De Zerbi as their head coach. They have been linked with him since 2023 and have now officially announced his appointment.
Tottenham have chopped and changed managers for fun in recent years, with six permanent coaches in seven years and multiple interims.
Since Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking in 2019, only one manager has been able to complete a full season at the north London club – Ange Postecoglou. He completed two and ended their 17-year trophy curse.
Hence, it’s no surprise that Spurs are often linked with new managers. They were linked with De Zerbi before and after Ange’s tenure, and even after Thomas Frank’s departure in February.
However, they also had a contingency plan in place.
Tottenham were monitoring Marco Silva as De Zerbi alternative
The Athletic has published a report stating De Zerbi was Tottenham’s priority target for the summer. They, however, convinced him to join following Igor Tudor’s exit, offering him a huge financial package.
However, in case De Zerbi stuck to his decision of waiting until the summer, Spurs were keen on making an attempt to poach Marco Silva from Fulham. They have been looking at him ‘very hard’ for years now.
Silva joined Fulham in the Championship in 2021 and led them to promotion to the Premier League in his first season. They have become a regular in the top-flight since. He has taken charge of 222 games with the Cottagers, managing 102 wins, 80 defeats, and 40 draws.
Silva was on Tottenham’s list in 2023 when they eventually hired Postecoglou. He was then also a prime candidate last summer following the Greek-Australian’s departure. As per The Athletic, he was one of the top two candidates with Thomas Frank, who eventually got the job.
Spurs were also keen on him following Tudor’s sacking, but ended up hiring De Zerbi.
Tottenham would have likely been unable to hire Marco Silva before summer
As per the aforementioned report, while Silva was one of their targets, Tottenham would have likely been unable to appoint him this month. Silva’s contract with Fulham expires in the summer. However, the Cottagers were unwilling to let him leave mid-season, more so to join a rival.
Also Read: Adam Lallana reveals what he told Tottenham players about playing under Roberto De Zerbi
The Portuguese manager couldn’t have quit himself either due to Premier League Rule J.3. According to this rule, if a coach is leaving a Premier League club to join another club in the league, it must be done with the consent of their current club.
Hence, Tottenham would be grateful they were able to convince De Zerbi to join the club this month instead of the summer.
