The Roberto De Zerbi era is well underway at Tottenham Hotspur as they aim to make one last swing to avoid relegation.
The Italian arrived at the club last weekend and took his first training session on Friday, where he had the chance to interact with his Tottenham players.
And now, preparations are underway for their upcoming Premier League clash against Sunderland, which is scheduled to happen on April 12th.
Tottenham haven’t played a game of football since their 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest – a game that turned out to be Igor Tudor’s last at the club – and will look to secure their first Premier League win of 2026 at the Stadium of Light.
All their international players are back in training, but recent footage confirmed that Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro weren’t with the squad.
Romero and Porro given extra days off
Porro was called up by Spain for their friendlies against Serbia and Egypt.
While he didn’t feature in the 3-0 win versus Serbia, he played the full 90 against Egypt, a game which ended in a 0-0 draw.
Read More: How Tottenham Hotspur could line up under Roberto De Zerbi
Romero, meanwhile, played both games for Argentina as they secured convincing wins against Zambia and Mauritania in what turned out to be a productive international break for him.
Romero also spoke about his desire to deliver for Tottenham and save them from relegation, which is a sign that he is committed to the club despite all the speculation surrounding his future.
And now, The Athletic have confirmed that both Romero and Porro were granted extra days off by Tudor, who incidentally left the club during the international break.
De Zerbi has taken his place and the Italian decided to honor his predecessor’s agreement, with the duo set to return to training on Monday to get a glimpse of their new boss.
Tottenham duo indispensable for De Zerbi
Romero has had a turbulent spell on and off the pitch this season, but Tottenham are better with him in the team, and his fighting spirit could be invaluable in the relegation battle.
The same could be said about Porro, who has shown this season that he really cares about the club.
Read More: Pedro Porro reveals what he knows about Cristian Romero’s potential Tottenham exit
Both players could play important roles in De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 formation, with Romero expected to lead the team – and the backline – while Porro is likely to be stationed as a right back.
A handful of Tottenham players were blown away by De Zerbi’s training methods after working with him on Friday.
And the same could be in the offing for Porro and Romero, who will get a closer look at the Italian later today.
