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Roberto De Zerbi is expected to be announced as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, with the North London club currently sitting just one point above the Premier League relegation zone.

Tottenham Hotspur cannot afford any mistakes as they prepare to appoint Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian tactician is set to replace Igor Tudor, who was dismissed on Sunday, with Spurs perilously close to the drop zone and only seven fixtures remaining this season.

Although De Zerbi is reportedly signing a five-year deal, the coming eight weeks could determine the course of his tenure, as he aims to prevent the club from an embarrassing fall into the Championship.

Tudor’s stint at Spurs lasted only seven matches, and De Zerbi now faces the same number of games to revive the team’s fortunes, with Tottenham still searching for their first league win of 2026.

In the remaining fixtures, Tottenham will travel to Sunderland, Wolves, Aston Villa, and Chelsea, while hosting Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds United, and Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

De Zerbi will have nearly two weeks before Spurs face Sunderland on Sunday, April 12, giving him valuable time to work with his new players at the training ground. His early experience at Brighton suggests those days could make a major difference.

The Italian required time to instil his philosophy after joining Brighton in September 2022. His side collected just two points from his first five matches as the squad adapted to his demanding tactical approach.

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk described those early weeks as particularly difficult. Speaking to the Telegraph in 2023, he said, “If I’m being honest, the first couple of weeks were horrendous. I wouldn’t say horrendous; they were baffling. The first meeting when he came in, I was so confused – who to look at, what to listen to. You slowly pick it up. Basically, don’t listen to the manager, wait for the translator, and you get there in the end.”

He continued, “Training changed dramatically. We worked on a lot of new elements, and those first two weeks were a tough transition. We were fourth in the league when Graham [Potter] left, and things were going really well. It was strange timing for him to leave, and then Roberto came in – it was carnage for two weeks.”

De Zerbi secured his first win at Brighton in his sixth match, a 4-1 victory against Chelsea, then managed by Graham Potter, the man he replaced. Brighton followed that up with a 3-2 win at Wolves and went on to finish sixth in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season, earning a Europa League berth.

To steer Tottenham away from relegation, De Zerbi will need to improve on his previous record of eight points from his first seven games in charge. However, his starts at other clubs offer more reason for optimism.

After leaving Brighton in May 2024, De Zerbi took charge of Marseille that summer, beginning his tenure with a commanding 5-1 win over Brest. He gathered 14 points from his first seven Ligue 1 matches, setting Marseille on course for a second-place finish – a remarkable improvement from their eighth-place standing in 2023/24.

Earlier in his career, De Zerbi enjoyed a strong start at Shakhtar Donetsk, taking over in July 2021 and winning six of his first seven matches in all competitions. His team topped the Ukrainian Premier League table when the season was abandoned in February due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At Sassuolo, he also made an impressive opening, securing five wins and one draw in his first seven matches of the 2018/19 season, including a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Serie A’s opening fixture.

However, his earliest managerial experiences were far less successful. At Palermo in 2016, De Zerbi managed just five points from his first seven games, and at Benevento a year later, he earned only a single point in the same period.

Tottenham’s hierarchy will be hoping his more recent record – rather than his early struggles in Italy – sets the tone for what lies ahead in North London.