Roberto De Zerbi has joined Tottenham Hotspur as the latest head coach of the 2025/26 season, reportedly signing a five-year contract with the North London club.
In an official statement on Tottenham Hotspur’s website, the Lilywhites have confirmed that they have appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach. The 46-year-old will officially complete the switch once he secures a work permit. Meanwhile, he has expressed his delight at joining the North London outfit.
De Zerbi said, “I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world. In all my discussions with the Club’s leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.”
“Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.”
Roberto De Zerbi has established himself as one of the world’s best young managers over the past half a dozen years. The 46-year-old tactician worked with four clubs before joining Sassuolo, where he rose in prominence. His stock then soared after joining Brighton & Hove Albion, and he spent two seasons with the Premier League outfit.
De Zerbi left Brighton to join Marseille after the 2023/24 season, and he oversaw a fruitful 2024/25 campaign, guiding Les Phoceens to the UEFA Champions League. However, the Italian manager’s spell with the Ligue 1 club ended a few weeks ago, with Les Phoceens parting ways with him after an embarrassing 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. De Zerbi has not taken long to return to work.
Widespread reports linked Roberto De Zerbi with Tottenham Hotspur for several weeks. The North London club’s interest has made sense, as he has previous experience of the Premier League and knows what it will take to move away from the relegation battle.
Tottenham’s struggles this season have been shocking, and Thomas Frank fizzled out after a solid start to life at the North London club. Igor Tudor could not make his mark either, managing only one point in five Premier League games. So, with the Lilywhites only having seven top-flight matches to play this season, they parted ways with the Croat this week.
While De Zerbi initially resisted the urge to return to work before the end of the 2025/26 season, he changed his mind this week. The struggling giants will hope the 46-year-old Italian tactician can use his Premier League know-how to galvanise his squad.
Meanwhile, the BBC’s Sami Mokbel has revealed that the former Marseille head coach has signed a five-year contract and has no relegation clause in his deal. Tottenham will hope the situation does not come to that and that they pull away from the drop zone in the coming weeks.