De Zerbi turns to World Cup winner to fix Tottenham defensive woes in major coaching coup | OneFootball

Roberto De Zerbi is already making moves to help Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive struggles as they battle to avoid relegation, with Italian great Alessandro Nesta offered a role on his coaching staff.

De Zerbi was lured back to the Premier League after Spurs handed the former Brighton boss a five-year contract following the mutual termination of interim boss Igor Tudor’s contract.

Speaking after taking the role at Tottenham, which is set to make him the third-highest manager in the Premier League, De Zerbi said: “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.”

It’s currently unclear over which coaches will be working with De Zerbi in a bid to get Spurs back on track and away from the threat of relegation to the second tier of English football for the first time in almost 50 years.

However, Italian outlet Tuttosport reports that Nesta, winner of the World Cup back in 2006, has been given a chance to become De Zerbi’s assistant manager.

The report adds that the 50-year-old is currently considering the offer, but has only worked as a head coach so far in his career and not as an assistant.

Nesta moved into coaching after retiring and has had spells in charge of Miami FC, Perugia, Frosinone, Reggiana and Monza.

The legendary Italy centre-back would bring huge experience and credibility, given the incredible success he had as a player, winning two Champions Leagues with Milan in 2003 and 2007.

Tottenham’s centre-backs have been poor for the majority of the season, bar Kevin Danso, who has performed to a decent level in a struggling team.

Both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been way off their normal level, with their best contributions arguably coming at the other end of the pitch with 13 goals between them.

Any sort of knowledge and tactical insight that Nesta could impart on Spurs’ defensive options could end up being critical in the club’s battle to beat the drop.