Tottenham Hotspur are in advanced talks to appoint Roberto De Zerbi as the club’s new permanent head coach, according to Sky Sports.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion manager has been a free agent since leaving Olympique Marseille and is the frontrunner to succeed Igor Tudor in the Tottenham dugout.
Tudor spent only 44 disastrous days in charge, picking up just one point from five Premier League games.
He also oversaw Tottenham’s Champions League round of 16 exit after losing 7-5 on aggregate to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
Tudor decided to part ways with Tottenham by mutual consent just days after his father passed.
However, the club have wasted no time kicking off the process of appointing a new permanent manager and De Zerbi is at the top of their wishlist.
De Zerbi has always been considered the club’s primary target, although the Italian manager was wary of jumping into the chaos at Tottenham.
He wanted to wait until the summer to see if Tottenham can survive the ongoing relegation battle.
However, the 46-year-old has made a stunning U-turn that could now see him join the club in the next few days, with Tottenham keen to sort out their managerial situation before their next Premier League outing against Sunderland on April 12.
Bringing De Zerbi now may not be a smart move
Tottenham are said to be in advanced talks with De Zerbi after ramping up their efforts to secure his signature over the past few days.
Spurs are understood to be increasingly confident that the Italian will agree to a five-year contract, although there may be a clause that allows him to leave if the club is relegated.
Nevertheless, bringing in De Zerbi with just seven games left may not be the smartest move for either the club or the former Brighton tactician.
They need someone with bags of experience surviving Premier League relegation, and with just seven games left to save their skin, they can’t afford to get it wrong.
Sean Dyche is available after leaving Nottingham Forest. The smarter move would be to appoint the Englishman as interim head coach before bringing in a permanent manager in the summer.
Going straight into survival mode immediately after joining Spurs is hardly the ideal way for De Zerbi to relaunch his career.
On the flip side, he could immediately win the fans over if he keeps them in the Premier League.