Official: Tottenham Hotspur appoint De Zerbi as head coach | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur have officially announced the appointment of Italian head coach Roberto as head coach of the men’s first team ‘on a long-term contract, subject to work permit’.

De Zerbi is called in to replace former Juventus head coach Igor Tudor in North London and will be tasked with steering Tottenham clear of relegation from the Premier League with seven games of the 2025-26 season left to go.

Tottenham currently find themselves in 17th place in the Premier League table, just one point and one position away from the drop zone.

MADRID, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 16: Robert De Zerbi, Head Coach of Olympique de Marseille, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Real Madrid C.F. and Olympique de Marseille at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 16, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

De Zerbi’s first match in charge of his new club will come away against Sunderland at 14.00 BST on April 12.

Reports indicate that De Zerbi has put pen to paper on a five-year contract that will run until the summer of 2031. This has led to questioning from some Tottenham supporters given that the Italian has never stayed in the same managerial position for more than two full seasons.

This will be De Zerbi’s second job in the Premier League following his tenure with Brighton between September 2022 and June 2024, during which time he led the Seagulls to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League, which is the club’s highest-ever finish and also brought their first ever qualification for the Europa League.

Reports in Italy indicate that Italy’s 2006 World Cup winner Alessandro Nesta will be part of De Zerbi’s coaching staff at Tottenham, although this has not yet been officially confirmed by the club.

What De Zerbi said about Tottenham appointment

MADRID, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 16: Robert De Zerbi, Head Coach of Olympique de Marseille, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Real Madrid C.F. and Olympique de Marseille at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 16, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world,” De Zerbi said in a statement on the club website.

“In all my discussions with the Club’s leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.

“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.”

Roberto De Zerbi (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Sporting director Johan Lange added: “Roberto was our number one target for the summer and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.

“He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football, and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League.”