Roberto De Zerbi Faces Challenges at Tottenham
Roberto De Zerbi has been in the Tottenham job for barely a heartbeat and already the club’s new era is creaking under the strain.
The Italian walked through the door on a five-year contract on Tuesday, a bold, long-term bet from a club sitting just a single point above the Premier League’s bottom three and still searching for their first league win of 2026. No relegation release clause. No safety net. Just seven games to steady a listing ship.
And now, another problem.
Early injury blow for De Zerbi
Pape Sarr, one of the few midfielders Spurs can scarcely afford to lose, has emerged as the latest concern in a season riddled with injuries.
The Senegal international linked up with his country during the break and played in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru. When Senegal named their squad to face Gambia on Tuesday, his name had vanished. Local reports pointed to a shoulder injury.
For most managers, that would be an unwelcome headache. For De Zerbi, it borders on a nightmare.
He has already inherited a treatment room overflowing at Hotspur Way. Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus have all been sidelined or remain unavailable. Now Sarr, one of the few consistent threads in an unravelling season, could be added to the list.
This is not the clean slate new managers dream of. It is a salvage job.
A divided welcome
The turbulence is not confined to the pitch.
Even before De Zerbi signed his contract, parts of the fanbase had made their opposition clear. Three supporters’ groups issued “No to De Zerbi” statements last Friday, their stance rooted in the coach’s past comments about Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.
Greenwood, formerly of Manchester United, was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, after images and videos appeared online. In February 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case, citing the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood denied the charges and has since resumed his career, joining Marseille in 2024.
De Zerbi stepped into that fraught debate in November, describing Greenwood as a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price”, saying it saddened him because he knew “a totally different person than the one who was described.” Those remarks have not been forgotten in north London.
Tottenham are understood to have raised those comments directly with De Zerbi during negotiations, aware of the sensitivities and the strength of feeling among sections of the support. The club pressed ahead regardless.
Supporters push back
The reaction from organised fan groups on Tuesday underlined how complicated this appointment will be off the field.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust said they had “serious and far-reaching concerns” about De Zerbi taking charge. Proud Lilywhites, the club’s LGBTQI+ supporters’ group, went further in spelling out the tension many feel.
“Whilst we disagree with the managerial choice, in terms of culture and competence, we will continue to support the players without pretending to be comfortable with the appointment,” they said, stressing that silence was not an option, but timing and platform mattered.
Their message carried a reminder of where power truly lies in the long term.
“Managers come and go. Executives come and go. Players come and go. Fans remain. We are the constant in this club.
“We will continue to represent the views of our members to the club, alongside the other supporter associations.
“This is not noise or reaction. It is a considered position and it is not going away.”
Spurs Reach, another supporters’ group, echoed that discomfort: “As a group of fans who care about inclusion, representation and how people are treated, this one doesn’t fully sit right with us, both culturally and in the bigger picture.
“That said, we’re Spurs through and through… our support for the club we love, the community and each other goes way beyond any one appointment.”
A brutal starting point
So De Zerbi starts his Tottenham tenure with a squad stretched thin, a fanbase split and the club hovering above the trapdoor.
No wins in the league this calendar year. Seven games to change the mood. Key players in the treatment room and one of his most dynamic midfielders now a doubt after a shoulder problem on international duty.
For a coach who thrives on intensity and clarity, the task is stark. Can he impose his football and repair trust at the same time, with the margin for error shrinking by the week?
