BBC

Roberto de Zerbi apologises to Spurs fans over Greenwood comments

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Roberto de Zerbi apologises to Spurs fans over Greenwood comments - BBC
Description

New Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi has apologised to fans over comments he made about Mason Greenwood.

The Italian's appointment has been opposed by some fan groups because of remarks he made about former Manchester United player Greenwood, who he signed and managed at Marseille.

Greenwood faced charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2022 before they were dropped.

De Zerbi told the Spurs website: "I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly."

De Zerbi, 46, added that he had always "stood up for those" that needed protecting.

"I've consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk," he said.

"Those of you who know me well, will know that I'm not the kind of person who makes compromises to win more games or win an extra title.

"I'm sorry if I offended anyone's feelings with this subject matter. I have a daughter and I'm very sensitive to these things and I always have been.

"I hope that over time people will get to know me better and understand that at that moment, I didn't mean to take a stance."

Spurs turned to De Zerbi after interim head coach Igor Tudor was sacked on Sunday with the club 17th in the Premier League, just one point and one place above the relegation zone.

More to follow.

Source

Tottenham news: De Zerbi seeks to clarify Greenwood comments

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
'I'm sorry if I offended anyone's feelings' - De Zerbi on Greenwood comments - BBC
Description

In his first interview as Tottenham head coach, Roberto de Zerbi was asked about fan concerns over comments he made during his time as Marseille boss on the signing of Mason Greenwood.

De Zerbi has said Greenwood "paid in a strong way" after leaving Manchester United for Marseille after charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped and added the forward "seems a good lad" who "I feel sad for".

Greenwood was seen as one of United's most promising young players when, at the age of 20, he was arrested in January 2022.

All charges against the former England international were dropped in February 2023.

Choosing to answer the question in Italian to ensure he is "clear" in his response, De Zerbi said: "I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly.

"In my life I've always stood up for those who are more vulnerable, more fragile.

"I've consistently fought and took a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk.

"Those of you who know me well will know I'm not the type of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title.

"I'm sorry if I offended anyone's feelings with this subject matter. I have a daughter and I'm very sensitive to these things, and I always have been.

"I hope that over time people will get to know me better and will understand that at that moment I didn't mean to take a stance."

Source

Tottenham can 'look back with pride' on progress in WSL so far

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Tottenham can 'look back with pride' on progress in WSL so far - BBC
Description

Tottenham manager Martin Ho says the club can look back at their progress this season with "a lot of pride".

Ho signed a new long-term contract last week as reward for his instant impact since joining from SK Brann in July.

Spurs currently sit fifth in the Women's Super League table and are preparing to meet Chelsea in Monday's FA Cup quarter-final (13:30 GMT).

They have already surpassed last season's WSL tally with three games remaining - a remarkable improvement after finishing second bottom in 2025.

"We have come a long way off the pitch and on it with the infrastructure and resources around the players, how efficient we've been as staff to try and apply the right processes and by creating a new identity," said Ho.

"We have put foundations in place that enable us to be successful moving forward and to evolve the squad, as we've done in both windows.

"We know if we want to be successful we need to do that again and we will do. But I'm really pleased with where we're at."

Tottenham have suffered three successive defeats for the first time this season but Ho backs them to bounce back against a Chelsea side wounded by their Champions League exit on Wednesday.

"We can't let two or three of these results cover up the work we've done so far in this short space of time. I think it's remarkable what we've done," added Ho.

"We can definitely build from this and it's a good platform. From where we finished last season, to now, there's been huge progress. We can look at it with a lot of pride.

"We've done well in the FA Cup. You have to play the top teams if you want to win the competition. We know this test against Chelsea will be tough.

"We need to go in with confidence and know we can compete."

Source

Premier League clubs spend record £460m on agent fees

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Chelsea lead Premier League's record £460m spend on agent fees - BBC
Description

Premier League clubs made payments of £460m to agents over the past year - a 13% increase on the previous 12 months.

It covers payments made by clubs to agents registered with the Football Association involving a player, coach or club - including transfer and contracts - between February 2025 and February 2026.

Chelsea, who paid out £65.1m, were the highest spenders for the third consecutive year.

On Wednesday, the west London club announced the biggest pre-tax loss in Premier League history. The £262m deficit for 2024-25 eclipses the £197.5m lost by Manchester City in 2011.

The Blues partly attribute this year's figure to recording the highest number of player sales in Premier League history.

Chelsea offloaded nearly £300m worth of players to comply with Uefa sanctions.

After record payments of £75m to agents in 2023-24, the club have spent a total of £200m over the past three assessment years.

Aston Villa were second on the list, paying £38.4m, which was an increase of £13.4m - the highest rise of any club.

This is despite the Villans spending a relatively modest £69m on incoming transfers. Unai Emery's side had a high number of costs associated with renegotiating player contracts and new professional registrations.

In third were Manchester City with £37.4m, though year-on-year spending fell dramatically - down by £14.8m from £52.1m.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Wolves also saw significant increases in agents fees.

The Gunners' payments went up £9.4m to £32.1m. Liverpool's rose £13m to £33.9m. Wolves saw an increase of £12.5m to £26m.

Sunderland's unexpected promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs brought a rise in payments from just £2.2m to £10.6m.

Alongside Manchester City, seven other clubs reduced payments to agents.

Brentford, Fulham, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham saw modest drops.

Newcastle's payments were reduced by £4.1m to £20.3m, while Leeds - despite being promoted - cut outgoings on agents' fees by £4.9m to £14m.

Spending in the Women's Super League rose 75%, by £1.6m to £3.8m.

Chelsea were again the biggest spenders, with their £1.1m accounting for over a quarter of the total.

Payments went up by 10% in the Championship to £69.7m, with Ipswich Town the highest spenders on £11.7m.

Agents fees in League One soared by 85%, influenced by the presence of Luton Town (£3.3m), Cardiff City (£1.7m) and Huddersfield Town (£1.5m), who accounted for close to half of the £14m total.

In League Two, the amount fell slightly by 5% to £2.6m.

Source

Tottenham news: 'De Zerbi has to go in and make friends - then be ruthless in the summer' - Robinson

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
'De Zerbi has to go in and make friends - then be ruthless in the summer' - BBC
Description

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson says new head coach Roberto de Zerbi's football over the next seven games "might not be pretty" but then "he can only improve".

"It's a good appointment for Tottenham," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"He's a manager who doesn't care what people think. He's his own man and he's always delivered under pressure.

"The only problems he's had are when the ownership and director of football are pulled in a different direction - then the project for him unravels very quickly.

"When you look at the job he did at Marseille, the city was very much behind him but the decision-making at the top was not and maybe he was guilty of changing systems and personnel too much towards the end of his tenure.

"His initial remit at Tottenham is to keep them in the Premier League. He can't go in there and change the dressing room. He can't change the players. He's very intelligent with his football knowledge and he will know he's got to go in there and make friends.

"He's got to make every player play for him, every player like him, and come together as a team to get results. Then, at the end of the season, he can be ruthless as he will have assessed the club and the squad himself already.

"He'll know exactly what he wants to do in the summer, but in the short term it might not be pretty. He might go against his style. In the long term he'll play open, expansive, high-pressing football, but for now it might be kicking it long and putting it in the corners.

"It's just about getting through and starting again next season as a Premier League club.

"Tottenham finished 17th last year and are fighting relegation this year. If they stay up, he can only improve. It's a great project at a fantastic club for him to improve."

Source

Jermain Defoe ready to 'earn his stripes' as Woking manager

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Jermain Defoe ready to 'earn his stripes' as Woking manager - BBC
Description

Jermain Defoe hopes he can be a trailblazer for black managers as he targets promotion with National League side Woking.

The former England striker was announced as the permanent successor to Neal Ardley on Sunday, his first managerial role.

He has previously been part of an interim coaching staff with Scottish giants Rangers in 2021 as well as working in the Tottenham Hotspur academy.

"It's been a long time coming," 43-year-old Defoe told BBC Radio Surrey.

"It was always the plan at the back end of my career when I knew I wanted to go into coaching and luckily enough that transition was quite smooth.

"I left Rangers, I went straight into Tottenham and did two years in the academy. I was exposed at Rangers a little bit with a player-coach role in my last year.

"When you look at the infrastructure, it's somewhere where I hope players will want to come and play. The talks have gone on for a while and I just want to get going."

Woking drew 1-1 with Altrincham on Tuesday under interim boss Craig Ross, leaving them 10th in the table, 11 points off the play-offs with six matches of the regular season remaining.

"I don't want to sit here and say, right, we need to achieve this, we need to achieve that," Defoe added.

"We're ambitious people, I want to do well.

"The main objective is, of course, to get promoted with the players we've got, some top players. The games that I've watched, I've been really impressed.

"You have to be confident. I think you always have to back yourself, whether you're a player or a manager or a coach."

Defoe is one of only five black managers in the top five tiers of English football.

He hopes that number will rise in the years to come, but played down the idea he is under more pressure to succeed because of the lack of black managers.

"It's something that's been spoken about for many years," he said.

"I remember as a player, all the different campaigns and speaking to the likes of Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Andy Cole - that generation before me who did their coaching badges and obviously there was a lack of opportunities.

"I would like to think going forward, other black managers now will get opportunities.

"Players that are still playing, hopefully in the future, they'll get opportunities.

"I think there's always going to be expectation on any manager at any level. You're a manager of a football club that has to win."

Defoe said he had no qualms about starting his managerial journey in the National League and knows he has to earn his stripes despite a stellar playing career.

"My mum's always said to me in life, you've got to be grateful for every opportunity you get," he said. "Everyone's journey is different.

"You look at successful managers, everyone's journey has been different.

"It's important to appreciate the opportunity. When I was a player, a young 16-year-old at West Ham in the youth team, you have to earn your stripes. You have to do your apprenticeship.

"You can't expect, just because I've had a good career, I can't expect to just jump in at the top or get that big job."

Defoe revealed he had conversations with Gareth Southgate and Lee Carsley about their respective coaching journeys, as well as messages of support from his former bosses Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp.

"I'm lucky that I've played for some great managers," he said.

"I got a message from big Sam yesterday, which was nice. I still keep in contact with Harry.

"Towards the back end of my career, I remember Harry saying to me, 'you've got to go into management, you'll be brilliant'.

"I never really cut any corners when I was a player. I know coaching and management is different, but when you love football, nothing changes.

"This is something that I've always wanted. You have to embrace it. I've waited a long time, I've done all the courses, I've put in the hours and now it's here. I'm going to enjoy this."

Source

Barrow: Three permanent bosses, two interims, one big mess for League Two club

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Barrow: Three permanent bosses, two interims, one big mess for League Two club - BBC
Description

The 2025-26 season will surely be remembered for the clubs that have lurched from one crisis to another, chopping and changing managers and head coaches at the drop of a hat.

Four different bosses at Nottingham Forest. Tottenham Hotspur needing three to try to avoid an unheard of relegation from the Premier League.

North of the border, Old Firm pair Celtic and Rangers have both changed bosses mid-season for the first time ever. The Hoops have even performed the hokey-cokey with Martin O'Neill, bringing the 74-year-old in, not once but twice, to perform interim spells either side of the disastrous reign of Frenchman Wilfried Nancy.

Meanwhile, in the Championship, West Bromwich Albion burned through Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay before handing over to James Morrison for their late-season survival bid. And Watford are on their third boss, but nothing new there.

All very chaotic and all worthy of consideration for the prize of the most disruptive season award.

But the winner, emerging from the pack is League Two Barrow.

Sat in the relegation zone trying to avoid the drop to the National League, the Bluebirds have had five different head coaches - three permanents and two interims.

So how have Barrow ended up in such a perilous position?

Tucked away in the south west corner of Cumbria, Barrow are a long way from the beating heartlands of English football.

But keeping up with events at Holker Street this season has created a soap opera all of its own with the main characters changing so frequently.

They have gone through the managerial playbook at alarming speed.

The man coming up through the ranks from non-league.

A grizzled veteran with experience across the divisions and abroad.

A rookie moving up from high-level academy football.

The lower-league survival specialist.

And now last of all, the most senior player in the squad handed the role of interim player-head coach.

This has not been played out over five years but fewer than five months. The result at the moment is that Barrow are 23rd in League Two, two points from safety with seven games left to play.

Will they save their season after a truly disastrous winter run of two wins in 25? Or has the damage already been done?

Andy Whing was at the helm when the season began in August. He had some credit in the bank after arriving from National League Solihull Moors in January 2025 with the Bluebirds on a downward spiral.

They eventually finished 16th and ended the campaign with just one loss in the last 13 games across the final two months.

However, that was followed by an enormous summer overhaul with 16 players arriving, offset by the departure of 17 others.

Not surprisingly perhaps, Barrow did not make a great start, losing six of their first eight games.

It was felt that Whing needed help in his first EFL role and Rob Kelly, twice a caretaker at the club, came in as assistant head coach in September.

That coincided with their best spell of the season as they put together a seven-match unbeaten run that moved them up towards mid-table.

But Kelly's stay was brief as he went south to Reading to resume a partnership with Leam Richardson.

Without Kelly, Whing did not win another game with his tenure ending after a 3-0 home loss to Tranmere Rovers on a miserable Tuesday night at Holker Street in early December in front of the club's lowest league crowd since their EFL return in 2020.

At that stage, Barrow were on a seven-game winless run but they were still 18th, four points clear of the bottom two.

Gallagher had been brought in to assist McDonald during his spell in interim charge and impressed the hierarchy, who believed that the Scot had a big hand in what they saw as an upturn in performances.

A former assistant in the Championship at Preston North End and Stoke City, this was a step into the unknown, dropping down into a relegation scrap in the League Two basement.

As it was, the 41-year-old was in charge for only 40 days and lost all five of his matches.

But crucially, his brief reign covered almost the entirety of the transfer window in which seven new players came in and seven others departed, while David Worrall went from a player-coach role to a permanent role in the backroom staff.

Gallagher's last match was a 2-1 loss at Shrewsbury Town, which saw Salop leapfrog them in the table. This came less than a week after the club's chairman Paul Hornby had called for everyone to "stay calm".

Suddenly, Barrow were now 22nd in League Two, only three points above the bottom two.

Six minutes after the club announced Gallagher's departure, white smoke was emerging to signal the appointment of Dino Maamria.

Out of work since leaving Burton Albion in December 2023, the 54-year-old Tunisian was parachuted in and heralded for his ability in helping teams avoid relegation against the odds.

He had the magic touch in his first match on 14 February as a late winner from captain Niall Canavan against Colchester secured a first victory at home since September.

That turned out to be the high point. Five more matches produced only one more point which included costly home defeats by relegation rivals Harrogate Town and Bristol Rovers.

The 2-0 reverse by Rovers was greeted by boos after a limp performance and one day later, Maamria's time was up after only 28 days, which he described as "abrupt".

He departed with Barrow still outside the bottom two, but this time with no wiggle room as only goal difference was keeping them out of the danger zone.

Analysis - Adam Johnson, BBC Radio Cumbria Barrow commentator

The summer started with a lot of departures to the squad and a lot of wholesale changes.

The club has admitted that they took a lot of gambles in terms of the players bought in and sadly those gambles have not paid off.

At the same time they haven't been helped with a long injury list - and a lot of long-term injuries which meant a lot of chopping and changing and never being able to play a settled side.

The managerial merry go-round certainly hasn't helped things - the departures have all probably been warranted in terms of the points-per-game stats for each manager, but like with the player recruitment, similar gambles on the managerial side have also hindered things.

The decision to sack Andy Whing without a clear plan was bad - then to eventually replace him with an unproven head coach - and to give that unproven boss the January transfer window has also proved a concern. The board again has admitted to this as being something they regret.

Dino Maamria was probably the right appointment but sadly came in too late, as with not having a window to bring players in, left him having to use a squad which three previous head coaches struggled to get a tune out of - and so comes Sam Foley the hopeful saviour.

The change of shape (to a back four) is something that the fan base were calling for and does look to have made slight improvements - the 5-0 collapse at Grimsby aside.

The win over Bromley has given hope where there certainly wasn't any prior to that game.

Any chance of survival rests firmly on the players being able to replicate the desire and intensity shown in that victory.

If they do that over the course of the seven games, then they certainly have a fighting chance - whether they can remains to be seen.

Source

Tottenham news: 'De Zerbi all in for Championship rebuild if relegation happens' reports Sami Mokbel

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
'De Zerbi all in for Championship rebuild if unthinkable does happen' - BBC
Description

It's a five-year deal for Roberto de Zerbi but the most pertinent piece of information is that there isn't a relegation release clause.

Given the situation Tottenham are in at the moment, one point and one place away the relegation zone, that's quite an important piece of detail.

From what I understand, De Zerbi is backing himself to keep the club up - but also, if the unthinkable does happen, he is all in to rebuild the team in the Championship.

Credit to him. He's got a big seven games ahead but he's in it for the long haul.

There is an understanding that what happens in the next seven games won't necessarily be De Zerbi's long-term body of work at Tottenham.

At the moment, it's needs must and there's not going to be the time to fit those tactical structures into his team. They need results and they need them immediately.

It's a case, for De Zerbi, of simply putting his arm around players and telling them they are actually good, international footballers and should not be in 17th place.

If he can get on the right side of them straight away and have them running through brick walls for him, then I think he's on to a winner because it's a great club and a global brand.

If he can get it right, then the sky is the limit.

Source

Tottenham news: Fans groups critical over De Zerbi’s Greenwood support

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Tottenham news: Fans groups critical over De Zerbi’s Greenwood support - BBC
Description

This is not the first time Tottenham have faced major opposition to a managerial appointment.

In June 2021, following the departure of Jose Mourinho, Spurs were linked with Gennaro Gattuso.

Some fans on social media referenced controversial comments the former Italy midfielder had previously made on subjects such as same sex marriage, external, and women in football.

A #NoToGattuso hashtag began trending on Twitter, and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust raised the issue with the club.

Tottenham backed away and said Gattuso was not being considered as a candidate.

There are parallels with Roberto de Zerbi.

Trust secretary Tristan Foot told BBC Sport that it had taken on board complaints from supporters about the Italian and had been in touch with the club.

"We had an emergency meeting last night," Foot said on Tuesday. "That resulted in us writing to the chief executive and echoing those concerns and inviting them to reflect on the club's values."

Club sources told BBC Sport that De Zerbi's comments on Mason Greenwood had been considered as part of the process to appoint him and had formed part of discussions.

Women of the Lane is one of a number of official Spurs fans' group to have voiced concerns across social media in recent days.

It was joined by Proud Lillywhites - the LGBTQI+ Supporters' Association, and SpursREACH, which promotes the values of fans from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds.

Ali Speechly, who helped to create Women of the Lane two years ago, said the appointment brought into question the values and integrity of the club.

"He hired him [Greenwood] as a player and then continued to publicly back him and support him, sympathise with him," Speechly said.

"For me, that's just unforgivable. I think that speaks to the character of De Zerbi. I don't want him anywhere near my football club.

"This is about how we feel, this is about values, this is about integrity and, ultimately, it's about safety. It's about women feeling that they are safe around other men.

"Actions speak louder than words. In terms of my relationship [with [the club], it's massively impacted it.

"I don't have any intention now of going to the stadium."

The trust issued a statement, external after De Zerbi's appointment, stating his comments were "unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of supporters".

"It is concerning that the club would put us in this position right when the team needs fans the most," it added.

"The club must reassert its commitment to the values that fans hold dear - chief among them equality, respect and integrity.

"Our preference would have been for a short-term appointment of an individual or individuals who understand the club."

Tottenham Hotspur have been approached for comment.

Source

Tottenham news: Spurs tried to bring in De Zerbi after Frank exit

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Tottenham news: Spurs tried to bring in De Zerbi after Frank exit - BBC
Description

Roberto de Zerbi was overwhelmingly Tottenham's number-one choice for the head coach position.

The attraction to the Italian was based on his prior Premier League experience, his tactical acumen and the his reputation for playing attacking football.

Spurs tried to bring him in after Thomas Frank left, but it was deemed too soon given he left Marseille on the same day.

De Zerbi was viewed as the best option for the long term and allows the club to plan for the summer transfer window, and he has time to experience working with the current options.

He was also viewed as the best option for the short term with no other highly credible coach on the market now.

There was also a view taken that it was best for players not to have another interim.

Source