Tottenham have announced the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach. The Italian has signed a five-year deal with the north London side.
His first major task at Tottenham is to help them avoid relegation. They are 17th in the Premier League standings, just a point above the drop zone. They have no wins in their last 13 league games and just one point in their last seven.
Hence, De Zerbi will have to make an immediate impact in implementing his playing style and getting results. However, that might not be his biggest strength mid-season.
Neal Maupay says De Zerbi might need time at Tottenham
The Italian manager has previous Premier League experience, having managed Brighton & Hove Albion. However, he got zero wins in his first five games with the Seagulls.
Marseille forward Neal Maupay, who played under De Zerbi, suggested that the Italian needs time to implement his style, telling Sky Sports:
“Yeah, I know him pretty well now and think he’s a fantastic signing for Tottenham. He loves football, is very into tactics. And all he has got in his life is football really. So he lives football. He breathes football. That can be good.
“The only thing for me — there are 7 or 8 games to go and what he wants to do takes time, you know, for the players to get used to it. So that would be interesting I guess. But if they can stay up, for me it’s a fantastic signing for Tottenham.”
Also Read: Simon Jordan explains why Tottenham have been made ‘clowns’ in Roberto De Zerbi negotiation
Maupay made 27 appearances under the Italian head coach at Marseille, scoring four goals and providing five assists. Notably, former Brighton defender Lewis Dunk’s comments about De Zerbi have also resurfaced.
The Englishman revealed that the first few weeks under the Italian were “horrendous” and “confusing” for him.
Tottenham don’t have the luxury of time
While they have offered De Zerbi a long-term contract, they don’t have the luxury of time for his first few games. They are far too close to the drop zone and have just seven games to avoid relegation.
The 46-year-old will get around 10 days of training before his first game as a Tottenham manager. They will face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League. The Black Cats have lost just three games at home all season.
With Nottingham Forest facing Aston Villa and West Ham facing Wolves in their next league games, a defeat against Sunderland could compound Tottenham’s misery.
