Tottenham Hotspur did not hire Roberto De Zerbi without controversy after the characters of the players he brought in to Marseille and the way he left both OM and Brighton before coming to Spurs, but one of the biggest concerns the Lilywhite faithful had about De Zerbi was his ability to relate to the players.
There were a lot of mixed stories about RDZ's antics behind the scenes in the locker room and some player accounts that while De Zerbi had those he loved, he could also alienate certain players and rub them the wrong way.
So far, Tottenham have seen none of that from De Zerbi. If anything, it has been the total opposite. While young players like Luka Vuskovic and Lucas Bergvall have been demanding transfers out, that is more due to them not wanting to fight for a spot at Spurs and worried about their own playing time, clearly implying that they view Spurs as nothing more than a stepping stone club rather than a place they want to prove themselves at.
Roberto De Zerbi has been far from abrasive
And for the players who do want to prove themselves, Roberto De Zerbi has greatly benefited them. Thomas Frank (and Igor Tudor, honestly) left Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Antonin Kinsky, Joao Palhinha, and other key players looking like shells of themselves, and then they became the biggest reasons why Tottenham Hotspur stayed up in the Premier League last season.
Tottenham's new manager even got veterans like Rodrigo Bentancur and Conor Gallagher to bounce back, and he showed the love to youngsters mostly stuck on the bench like Archie Gray and Mathys Tel, supporting them proudly in press conferences despite their lack of playing time with relegation on the line for Spurs.
There is so much optimism around Tottenham heading into the 2026/27 Premier League season despite the club almost getting relegated in their worst ever season, and that has to do with more than just the quality of players De Zerbi has brought in to N17 like Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes for a combined 185 million pounds.
Despite the concerns of De Zerbi being too headstrong, abrasive, and even arrogant to relate to people, the opposite seems to have happened. People are rallying around De Zerbi and even choosing to stay with Spurs because of him. Tonali, Van de Ven, Porro, and others being Spurs players in 2026 has a lot to do with the confidence and spirit De Zerbi has imbued on them.
Add us as a preferred source on Google