Tottenham Hotspur are set to appoint Robert De Zerbi as manager, with an announcement on the deal coming soon. The Italian joins the London side months after his chaotic exit from Marseille and he now comes into an even more alarming situation at Spurs, who are in a bigger mess than they have ever been in recent history.
In a way, both the parties are largely unstable footballing entities. De Zerbi brings loads of baggage with him and Tottenham are a roller coaster in themselves, as they flip flop in identities constantly even in shorter periods of time.ย
We assess the pros and cons of the deal, which can prove defining both Spurs and De Zerbi.
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Con: The obvious Greenwood problem
Before this gets deeper, De Zerbi was clearly very open about his support for Mason Greenwood during the spell in France. This goes beyond football and is obviously going to be brought up constantly when the Itailan actually joins Tottenham.
De Zerbi appeared to defend the โattackerโย at Marseille, without ever intending to staying away from the matter โ let alone condemning all of it.
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Con: De Zerbi isnโt really a fire-fighter
As of now, Tottenham obviously need a fire-fighter who rescues them from the lingering relegation dog-fight. De Zerbi has managed lower down the table during his famed spell at Sassuolo but has never done it with the stature of a club like Tottenham. If anything, he has grown into an overtly vocal individual who is hell-bent on his ideas and will only cause more chaos than fighting the fire.
There is no denying that his ideas were present even during the spell at Sassuolo. But that was the Italianโs comfort zone where it was easier to command respect for his principles. It was a provincial club which was based on his ideas and the Neroverdi never ran from that idea, as they got relegated soon after De Zerbiโs exit.ย
Tottenham are different โ as were Marseille. Besides, the current situation demands pragmatism, not idealism.
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Con: Long-term isnโt De Zerbiโs thing
Surprisingly, Tottenham have handed the Italian a five-year deal and there is no relegation clause in his deal either. While that is a big sign of trust from a rather dramatic footballing institution, they might be investing in the wrong person for that.
Again, De Zerbiโs ideas are revolutionary and Pep Guardiola will back that up, having sought inspiration from his Brighton team for baiting the opposition press. But De Zerbiโs incredibly demanding nature leads to him creating enemies rather quickly. He isnโt afraid to be honest and emotional about topics. That itself has pros and cons but in almost Antonio Conte way, he falls out with individuals and leaves.
Entrusting him with a long contract makes little sense and the decision screams of desperation.
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Con: Can Tottenham give him what he wants?
De Zerbi usually requires very specific players for a high-intensity system. That is usually easier to achieve at a sporting-oriented club like Brighton, who are steeped in recruiting well.ย
Tottenham are the opposite end of the spectrum. They roped in Connor Gallagher when they needed a deeper midfielder in January, also making him their highest-paid player in the middle of the campaign. The Englishman hasnโt done much, having also struggled at Atletico Madrid. That, in a nutshell, is what De Zerbi can find himself in. It is a complete turnaround from what he had with the Seagulls.
Staying in the Premier League will keep Tottenham within the rights to spend big. But that privilege has always existed and at various times, they have misprofiled players and ended up making all the wrong decisions. This has led down managers and De Zerbi should be ready.
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Pro: De Zerbi can give Spurs an identity
If anything, Tottenham might end up stumbling upon a very specific identity under De Zerbi. The last time that happened was under Ange Postecoglou and also under Mauricio Pochettino. While demanding, the Italianโs approach looks pleasing when it works out and players actually end up improving. It brings more out of younger players, maximising their 1v1 abilities and simply taking every player to a new level from a technical perspective. It also improves how they view the game, with someone like Manuel Locatelli benefitting from that in the past.
The ex-Sassuolo manager is very insistent in laying down those ideas and often ends up succeeding in that. Tottenham could well benefit from that in the long-term, especially if De Zerbiโs future successor is in the same mould.
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Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
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