Fabrizio Romano has shared Roberto De Zerbi’s late night update from Tottenham.
It’s been one of the most dramatic managerial rounds of the Premier League season, apart from Nottingham Forest, and it looks set to take its latest – and possibly last – twist.
Tottenham confirmed Igor Tudor’s departure by mutual consent on Sunday after just 44 days, one win and a heartbreaking 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest that left the club one point behind the relegation zone with seven games remaining.
The Croatian became the second manager to leave Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, following Thomas Frank before him.
Spurs have yet to win a Premier League game in 2026, so time is ticking.
Into that turmoil has come De Zerbi, the Italian who turned Brighton into European qualifiers and returned Marseille to the Champions League – despite an tumultuous 18 months that ended with his departure earlier this year – and has spent his time weighing his options rather than pressing need.
For weeks, it is understood that he prefers to wait until the summer, hesitating to parachute into the war of rebellion with ten days of preparation and a team that lacks confidence.
The manager resigned from the Tottenham job in a public statement after the reported talks
He will not replace Igor Tudor.
However, Tottenham pushed back and offered a significant financial package and a promise to build something significant for one of England’s most supported clubs.
And now, according to Romano tonight, they are on the verge of finding their man.
Tottenham are on the verge of signing Roberto De Zerbi
An insider, speaking on his YouTube channel, presented a decisive update on the situation.
“De Zerbi is really close to being the next manager of Tottenham Hotspur,” said Romano.
“Here, we are expected soon.
“Tottenham decided to go for De Zerbi with a big financial offer, a big contract offer, a five-year contract for De Zerbi, a very significant salary, one of the best salaries for a manager in the Premier League.
That last sentence – “enhanced negotiations” – combined with Romano’s trademark “here we go” signal tells the story.
This is no longer a question of whether De Zerbi will be the manager of Spurs but when the announcement comes.
Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange hosted the talks, and the club’s desire to have De Zerbi before the players return from international duty – which gave him around ten days to prepare for Sunderland’s away trip on April 12 – may have prompted the urgency on both sides.
The problems that existed today have not completely disappeared.
The question of whether a release clause has been built into the contract remains unclear, and fan opposition from three fan groups – Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach – continues with De Zerbi’s public defense of Mason Greenwood during their time together in Marseille.
Those concerns are real and won’t go away with the announcement.
But the football decision seems to have been made. Tim Sherwood, who expressed doubts earlier today about whether De Zerbi’s expansive style is worth the fight for survival, admitted he could be a good time to be appointed if the sleeper job is not won.
For a club that has gone from crisis to crisis this season, some clarity is overdue. If Romano’s confidence is to be – and it remains – De Zerbi will be the man charged with delivering it.
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