Tottenham are closing in on a money-spinning deal to land Roberto De Zerbi, with the North Londoners prepared to make the Italian the second-highest paid manager in the Premier League.
De Zerbi is the Spurs’ No 1 target as they look to avoid relegation disaster amid a torrid season in which Tudor and Thomas Frank have been dismissed as head coach.
Former Brighton boss De Zerbi has been available since his exit from Marseille in February and was understood to have been reluctant to take the Spurs job immediately, preferring to join the club in the summer.
However, Daily Mail Sport understands that while De Zerbi doesn’t see taking over now as ideal, he has been given the assurances that he will be backed by the board.
The five-year deal on the table includes a release clause in the event of relegation and would put him behind only Man City’s Pep Guardiola as the highest-paid manager in the Premier League.
Tottenham risk upsetting their fanbase should they appoint De Zerbi, with supporters launching a ‘No To De Zerbi’ campaign on Friday night owing to his backing of former Man United star Mason Greenwood.
De Zerbi brought Greenwood to Marseille, prompting backlash from the French fanbase owing to the 24-year-old’s arrest on suspicion of rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour in 2024. The CPS later dropped the charges against him.
In his capacity as head coach, De Zerbi defended his player in the wake of his move to the French Riviera, with an attitude which the supporters groups have described as ‘downplaying the seriousness of violence against women and girls’.
Choosing De Zerbi, Women of the Lane said in their statement, ‘raises serious questions about judgement and leadership.’
‘Clubs signal their values through the decisions they make,’ the statement read. ‘Who they appoint matters. The manager sets the tone, every day, for what is expected, what is tolerated, and how people are treated.
‘At a time when Spurs needs to rebuild, that culture matters as much as anything on the pitch.
‘For many in our community, this is difficult to reconcile with the club’s stated commitments to respect, safety and inclusion. This is not an appointment Tottenham Hotspur should make. It introduces unnecessary cultural risk without a clear, proven track record to justify it.’
Proud Lilywhites added that the club has the responsibility to ‘shape how people feel, who feels welcome, and what behaviour is seen as acceptable’ with the manager playing ‘a huge role’ in that culture.
‘When someone in that position publicly defends a player like Mason Greenwood, and frames it in a way that downplays the seriousness of what happened, it matters, not just in isolation but in what it signals,’ the statement continued. ‘We are proud of the progress that’s been made in making football more inclusive and welcoming.
‘That progress matters, and it cannot be compromised or treated as secondary. We are not asking for perfection. We are asking for accountability, transparency, and leadership that reflects the values this club claims to stand for.
‘All together, always. That has to mean something. No to De Zerbi.’
Spurs Reach’s statement added: ‘Comments previously attributed to Roberto De Zerbi, including public remarks defending and contextualising Mason Greenwood following serious allegations have been widely criticised for appearing to minimise the gravity of violence against women.
‘Regardless of intent, framing of this nature risks normalising harmful attitudes, diminishing the experiences of survivors, and sending a deeply concerning message about what is tolerated within the game.’
De Zerbi stoked controversy in November 2025 as Greenwood prepared for his first match on English soil since leaving Man United as a loanee two seasons earlier by saying that his player was a ‘good guy’ who had paid a ‘heavy price’ for the domestic abuse allegations.
‘He’s a good guy, he paid a heavy price for what happened, a very heavy price,’ De Zerbi said. ‘He has found the right environment for him.
‘We have lent him a hand and given him affection. He’s a little bit introverted but I know him and his family. It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described in England.’
