Why De Zerbi ‘quickly’ rejected Tottenham after contact as stance on replacing Tudor this summer confirmed | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur made discreet contact with Roberto De Zerbi about stepping in as their interim head coach, TEAMtalk understands, but the Italian quickly rejected the proposal once it became clear the role was strictly short‑term.

Sources have confirmed that Spurs’ hierarchy have been unwavering in their message to every candidate: only the interim position is being discussed at this stage, with the permanent job to be assessed in the summer following a full internal review.

De Zerbi, who is open to a long‑term project in north London, had no interest whatsoever in taking a temporary post. He did not feel an interim stint aligned with his ambitions, despite being intrigued by the idea of a permanent role further down the line.

As TEAMtalk revealed on Friday, club legend Robbie Keane took the same stance. Keane made it clear he would not consider a short‑term appointment, ruling himself out of contention in identical fashion to De Zerbi.

With both men unwilling to take the reins on an interim basis, Spurs assessed alternative options. After considering the likes of current coach John Heitinga and former club stalwart Ryan Mason, attention shifted to Igor Tudor — a coach who had also shown interest in the Nottingham Forest vacancy.

We reported earlier on Friday that Tudor had been offered to Spurs, and now the former Juventus and Marseille boss has accepted the job until the summer.

His arrival gives the club the experienced stop‑gap figure they were seeking while they continue to evaluate long‑term candidates ahead of a crucial off‑season.

Tottenham transfer news: Endrick, Palhinha…

In other news, Tottenham have been told what Real Madrid’s stance on selling Endrick this summer is after emerging as one of the Premier League clubs interested in the on-loan Lyon striker.

The sacking of Thomas Frank has opened up doubts over whether Tottenham will buy Joao Palhinha after his loan spell from Bayern Munich.