Newly-appointed Tottenham boss, Roberto De Zerbi, has been tasked with blocking the exit of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Lucas Bergvall.
Tottenham find themselves in deep waters as the future of the club, as well as a lot of their star players, is uncertain. While a lot will depend on whether they survive relegation, a few of their mainstays could still push for a move away as their project is going nowhere.
As a result, the North London club have asked their newly appointed boss, Roberto De Zerbi, to help them block the exit of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Lucas Bergvall, according to Pete O’Rourke via Football Insider.
Following the departure of Thomas Frank at the start of the year, Spurs appointed Igor Tudor to help steady the ship. But things did not go according to plan as they failed to win any of their league games under him. As a result, they brought in De Zerbi on a long-term deal during the recent international break.
The Italian manager has a massive task at hand as he needs to ensure the club stays up with only a handful of games to go. With West Ham winning 4-0 against Wolves on Friday night, Tottenham have slipped to 18th on the table.
Tottenham are trying to keep hold of star trio
With the threat of relegation looming, they are at risk of losing quite a few of their stars, and Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Lucas Bergvall are some of the biggest names on that list. Atletico Madrid are after the Argentine international, while Real Madrid and Liverpool have been linked with van de Ven.
As far as Bergvall is concerned, Chelsea and Aston Villa are keeping tabs on him after failing with winter moves. With a number of clubs ready to pounce, Tottenham certainly cannot afford to get relegated. Dropping down to the EFL Championship will pretty much guarantee their departure.
Even if they do manage to survive, Spurs will still struggle to convince the trio to stay at the club, as interested clubs will try everything in their power to lure them. As a result, Spurs are hoping De Zerbi, who has penned a five-year deal at the North London club, could help them convince the trio to stay at the club.
Pete O’Rourke on Tottenham’s plans going forward
While relegation could have an effect on the future of the manager as well, reports suggest there is no relegation exit clause in his deal. For now, Tottenham are looking to back him heading into the summer transfer window, and they are hoping he can block the exit of Romero, Van de Ven and Bergvall.
O’Rourke said, “With Tottenham at the moment, you just don’t know what they’re going to be able to do. Obviously, bringing in Roberto De Zerbi, they’ll see if he can help persuade maybe some players who have been considering their futures to stay at the club.
“A lot of them will have their eyes on moves away to play at the highest level in the Champions League and I’m sure there will be clubs circling. Tottenham hope the manager can sell the long-term vision and convince them to be part of his plans, but a lot will depend on whether they’re still in the Premier League.”
The North London club are hoping their manager can sell the long-term project to their star players and convince them to stay. His plans for the immediate future as well as the long run could have a massive impact on the future of their stars. While De Zerbi will certainly put in the work, a lot will depend on whether they are still in the Premier League.
