Tottenham Don Employ Roberto De Zerbi As New Coach — To Save Spurs From Relegation

Na the kind of news wey go make any Tottenham fan sweat for sleep. Roberto De Zerbi don officially sign contract to become the third Tottenham manager this season — and the Italian get only seven Premier League games to save Spurs from something wey no happen since 1977: relegation. The deal don sign, announcement dey come, and na now the real battle begin.

How Dem Reach This Point — The Full Story of Tottenham Disaster Season

To understand where Spurs dey today, you need to see the full picture of how far down this club don fall this season. Tottenham enter the 2025/26 campaign with plenty hope — new signings, familiar names, expectations of top-six finish. But things go south fast, and when their first manager comot, they turn to Igor Tudor to save the situation.

Tudor tenure? Na certified disaster. Seven games. One win, wey happen to be second leg of Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid where Spurs were already 5-2 down from first leg and lost the tie anyway. In the Premier League, Tudor no win once. Draw once, lose four times. That be the kind of run wey make coaching career look like accident. After 44 days in charge, Tudor leave by mutual agreement.

The result? Tottenham, sitting 17th in the Premier League table — just one point above the drop zone — with only seven games remaining in the season. The most painful stat be this: Spurs have not won a single Premier League match in all of 2026. January, February, March — zero wins. That record dey put them in the company of only three other clubs in Premier League history, and all three of those clubs were relegated that same season.

Why They Choose De Zerbi?

Roberto De Zerbi, 46, be the Italian coach wey make serious name for himself at Brighton, where e lead them to top-six finish with attractive passing football. E later move to Marseille, but that spell dey controversial — stories of dressing room fights, Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe conflict in training, and the general difficult nature of managing one of French football most turbulent clubs.

Spurs first think about De Zerbi last summer but no pull trigger at that time. Now with their back against the wall, dem fast-tracked the appointment. The Italian initially no want to take over a mid-season battle, preferring to wait for summer. But four key reasons made am change him mind: the size of the project, the financial backing, the five-year contract offer, and the challenge of doing something dramatic.

The contract itself na big story — five years, reportedly placing De Zerbi salary in same bracket as Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta. And in a twist wey surprise plenty people, there be NO relegation clause. The club originally planned to include one, but that plan change. De Zerbi don commit for the long haul regardless of whether Spurs drop down.

But Journalist Contradict Himself — With Clause Or Without?

Interesting. French journalist Julien Laurens tell BBC Monday Night Club that De Zerbi will definitely have a break clause to walk away if they go down, saying: “He’s not a Championship manager. There is no doubt in my mind.” But latest confirmed reports from Sami Mokbel of BBC say: “Tottenham complete move to appoint Roberto De Zerbi as new boss, with no relegation clause.” So we go trust the official BBC confirmation.

Either way, the appointment be done deal. De Zerbi first match no go be until Sunday, April 12, when Spurs travel to Sunderland — live on Sky Sports. His first home game? Against Brighton. The same club where e build him legend. Football dey find ways to be dramatic.

Can He Save Them?

Rio Ferdinand warn De Zerbi publicly that Tottenham board fit ruin him reputation. Tim Sherwood, former Spurs boss, admire De Zerbi quality but raise concern about whether e get the right credentials for a pure relegation battle. Spurs squad dey mostly made up of direct runners and physical players — not the kind of technical ball-players wey De Zerbi style demand. The coach go need time to implement his philosophy, but time na the one thing wey dem no get.

Seven games. Seven finals, if you want to see it that way. Lose them and Spurs go down to the Championship for the first time since 1977. Win them — or enough of them — and this whole crazy season go become just a bad dream wey dem survive. The question now na whether this roll of dice go land on six or on one.

One thing certain: the pressure dey heavy, the stakes dey high, and Roberto De Zerbi don walk straight into the fire. Make we see whether this man na fireman or na petrol.