Tottenham, a top English club threatened by relegation from the Premier League, hired Roberto De Zerbi as its manager on Tuesday despite opposition to the appointment from fans’ groups because of the Italian’s past support of a player who was charged with offenses including attempted rape.
De Zerbi replaced Igor Tudor, who was fired on Sunday after 44 days of an interim coaching spell that worsened Tottenham’s plight in the Premier League.
Spurs, the
reigning Europa League champions and ever-presents in England’s top division since 1978, are one point above the relegation zone with seven games left.
De Zerbi previously worked in the Premier League as Brighton’s manager and was most recently at Marseille, which he left in February after a disagreement with the French club’s leadership.
While at Marseille, De Zerbi coached former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood, who was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior, and assault after images and videos were posted online.
British prosecutors dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to a “combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses” and due to “no realistic prospect of conviction.”
During their time together at Marseille, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy” who “paid dearly for what happened,” adding: “I regret what happened in his life because I know someone different from what’s being described, especially in England.”
Women of the Lane, a Tottenham-affiliated women’s supporters’ group, questioned De Zerbi’s “judgment and leadership” because of the way he “publicly defended Mason Greenwood in a way that downplays the seriousness of male violence against women and girls” and said it was “not an appointment Tottenham Hotspur should make.”
Proud Lilywhites, Tottenham’s LGBTQI supporter group, also has objected to De Zerbi’s arrival, saying the decision to appoint a coach “isn’t just about results or style of football. It’s about values, identity, and the kind of people we choose to represent us.”
“When someone in that position publicly defends a player like Mason Greenwood, and frames it in a way that downplays the seriousness of what happened, it matters, not just in isolation but in what it signals,” the group said.
Spurs Reach, the club’s official race, ethnicity and cultural heritage fans’ group, said De Zerbi’s “public remarks defending and contextualizing” Greenwood “risks normalizing harmful attitudes, diminishing the experiences of survivors and sending a deeply concerning message about what is tolerated within the game.”
De Zerbi, who has signed what Tottenham said was a “long-term contract," is a coach known for playing an attacking, high-risk, complex style of soccer, making it something of a bold appointment by club whose top-flight status on the line.
He is a well-respected tactician — doing admirably at Sassuolo in Italy and then at Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk, which he left in 2022 following Russia’s invasion — but is known to have a combustible edge to him.
“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,” De Zerbi said in a statement by Tottenham.
Tottenham didn’t specify but British media reported his contract is for five years and does not include a relegation clause.
“Roberto was our No. 1 target for the summer,” Spurs sporting director Johan Lange said, “and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.”
De Zerbi takes over a club that is one of the biggest in England and reached the Champions League’s round of 16 this season, losing over two legs to Atletico Madrid.
However, Tottenham’s Premier League form has been woeful over the last two seasons. In the 2024-25 campaign, Spurs finished in 17th place — one above the relegation zone — though that was partially due to focusing on the Europa League as they surged to the title.
This season, Tottenham hasn’t won a league game in 2026 and is coming off a 3-0 home loss to relegation rival Nottingham Forest before the international break.
Thomas Frank started the season as Tottenham’s manager before getting fired on Feb. 11. His replacement, Tudor, lasted just seven matches — losing five of them — before losing his job on Sunday to end his nightmarish month and a half in charge.
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