Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as the club’s new head coach on a five-year contract on Tuesday
Roberto De Zerbi will be handed a lucrative survival bonus if he manages keep Tottenham in the Premier League.
De Zerbi, 46, was appointed as the new Spurs head coach on a bumper five-year contract on Tuesday. He has replaced Igor Tudor, who was sacked on Sunday following a disastrous 44-day reign in north London, and has been first tasked with retaining the club’s top-flight status.
Tottenham have endured a horrendous season so far and sit 17th in the table, just one point and one place above West Ham in 18th. Indeed, Spurs have failed to win any of their last 13 top-flight matches and there is now a real danger that they could be relegated to the Championship.
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But, should De Zerbi keep Tottenham in the Premier League, he would receive a mega survival bonus, according to The Mirror. That would, of course, come alongside the significant pay packet he is receiving from his contract, with the Italian reported to have become the third-highest-paid manager in England behind Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola.
If De Zerbi doesn’t keep Spurs in the top flight, however, there is NO relegation escape clause inserted into his contract, and he would therefore lead the club into the Championship.
The ex-Brighton and Marseille boss has seven games to preserve Tottenham’s top-flight status, with his first competitive game as the club’s head coach set to be a trip to Sunderland on Sunday, April 12.
They then host his former club Brighton before travelling to rock-bottom Wolves in a three-game period that could be pivotal if Spurs want to remain in the Premier League. Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton are the other four teams that Tottenham have to face between now and the end of the season.
Speaking after his appointment, De Zerbi reiterated that his first task was to keep Tottenham up. “I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world,” he said.
“In all my discussions with the club’s leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.
“Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.”
Tottenham sporting director Johan Lange added: “Roberto was our number one target for the summer and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.
“He is one of the most creative and forward-thinking coaches in world football and brings with him a wealth of experience at the highest level, including in the Premier League.”
