De Zerbi Tottenham exit talk addressed as legendary star fears a ‘run like Igor Tudor’ | OneFootball

The prospects of Roberto De Zerbi sticking around as Tottenham Hotspur manager if he fails to keep the club in the Premier League have been assessed – and iconic former Spurs star Teddy Sheringham has exclusively revealed how he sees things playing out.

A disastrous season has seen Tottenham plunge into significant relegation danger, and having failed to win a Premier League clash since December 28, the club are now winless in 14 games and staring relegation firmly in the face. Falling out of the top flight would be the first time the club has suffered such a fate since 1977 – some 49 years ago.

To try and arrest their slide, Spurs have appointed Italian manager De Zerbi as their new head coach, the 46-year-old signing a massive five-year deal through to summer 2031 and heavily incentivised with a massive survival bonus.

However, after another toothless display saw Spurs lose 1-0 on De Zerbi’s first match in charge, away to Sunderland, many observers believe the club may be too far gone for De Zerbi to save, and that their chances of dropping into the second tier are advancing by the week.

As a result, questions have been raised over whether the Italian, who managed Marseille in the Champions League this season and sees himself as being of that level, would stick around if they dropped out of the top tier.

Asked by TEAMtalk on what he expects to happen, legendary star Sheringham offered a strong opinion and admitted the loss to Sunderland will increase fears that they could go on a run akin to that of the last manager, Igor Tudor.

“First things first, they’ve got to stay up – that’s the priority,” Sheringham exclusively revealed in association with BestBettingSites.

“Things can go bad – he could have a run like Igor Tudor and get one point from six games, and then you don’t know…”

However, Sheringham insisted that he fully expects De Zerbi to stick around regardless of the club’s status and pointing to the length of contract he agreed to.

“If someone’s getting a five-year deal, you’d like to think they’re staying on, but you never know in this game. I’d think he’ll be there whether they stay up or go down.”

With regards to transfer targets and improving on what has been in truth a dismal season, Sheringham insists everything depends on Spurs’ status next season, adding: “Then it’s about the calibre of player coming in – but that depends whether they’re in the Premier League or the Championship.”

De Zerbi: One win needed to change Tottenham’s fortunes

De Zerbi, however, made it very clear that he intends to honour his deal after being unveiled as Spurs’ third manager of the season earlier this month.

And that stance is unlikely to alter after Sunday’s loss at Sunderland, which leaves the club two points adrift of West Ham.

Reflecting on that loss, De Zerbi believes his side – winless since December 28 – just need one win to change their mentality and boost their survival hopes.

“We have to be stronger. I spoke to the players five minutes ago, and I said the same,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports following the defeat on Wearside.

“I understand everything, I can understand it’s been a tough season. We are going through a tough moment for everyone. But we have to react, we have to react with enthusiasm, the right spirit. They showed that today. I can’t say anything about that.

“What we have to do is just work, just transfer what I think. I’m an honest man, I’m telling you what I think, what my opinion is. We have big players, but now they are in a bad moment. There’s results, the part of the season. But we have to work on one win. With one win, we can change everything this season.

“I have 24 hours in a day. It’s not a problem of time. I want to find the right way to reach the heads of my players. I’m honest. When I say we created two or three chances in the first half with Udogie, Richarlison, Solanke – we did the same what we’ve done in the week. For that, the qualities of the players are great, but not enough.

“Now we have to believe more in ourselves and our teammates. The crucial part is to win one game. One game, one game, one game.

“In terms of style of play, we can play much better than today. But after five or six training sessions, it’s difficult. The problem is not a style of play; the problem is the mental part. Together, we have to stay focused to win one game.”

Tottenham latest: Carragher, Neville assess relegation; Barcelona midfielder eyed

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur are heading for the Championship and will unlikely win another game this season, according to a sickened Jamie Carragher, while  Gary Neville has explained why the “unthinkable” can happen for the fallen Premier League giants.

Elsewhere, should Spurs stay up, the club are reportedly interested in signing a Barcelona midfielder this summer –  and it’s believed a low fee could see them consider the sale of the talented Spain international.

In other news, Tottenham are reportedly ‘in talks’ to sign a Premier League sensation in what could prove a record deal this summer.

However, he will likely come in as a replacement for an emotional Spurs lynchpin, who looks likely to be one of the first major names to leave the club this summer.