Roberto De Zerbi wasn’t appointed sooner by Tottenham Hotspur because he needed heavy persuasion | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur have manager Roberto De Zerbi to thank for securing Premier League safety on the last day of the season/

The Italian replaced Igor Tudor on March 31, and he helped Spurs secure three victories and two draws in seven league games.

Those 11 points were enough to keep the Lilywhites up and people at the club have noe revealed why De Zerbi was not appointed sooner.

He re[prtedly needed needed ‘heavy persuasion’ to take the job.

Spurs started the season with Thomas Frank as manager after Ange Postecoglou was sacked in the summer.

However, he was sacked on February 11, a day after a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United.

They had won just seven league games at the time, losing 11 and drawing the other eight. Tottenham appointed Tudor as an interim boss, with a view to making a permanent appointment in June.

They did not win any league game under the Croatian, losing four and drawing one of the five fixtures he oversaw.

Spurs were only two points above the relegation zone when De Zerbi arrived. While they finished the season two points above the relegation zone, things could have been worse without him in charge.

He was first discussed at Spurs as early as January but was at Marseille at the time. However, the Ligue 1 club sacked him on the same day Tottenham parted ways with Frank.

He was not keen on joining Tottenham, and it appears he was not convinced by the culture, ambition, experience, stability, quality in the team and leaders in the dressing room.

De Zerbi eventually agreed to join them and willnow hope to guide them back up the Premier League.