Tottenham Hotspur fans will love what one of their old favourite players has said about working with Roberto De Zerbi.
Many have expressed doubts over whether De Zerbi is the right man to take charge of a relegation battle at Tottenham, given the Italian’s focus on attacking football and his reputation for being temperamental.
Not all Spurs fans are happy with De Zerbi’s appointment, with the Italian’s controversial past comments about Mason Greenwood raising concerns.
However, the supporters will take heart from what one of their former heroes has said in the past about working with the 46-year-old.
Tottenham fan favourite Sandro loved working with Roberto De Zerbi
Former Spurs midfielder Sandro, who is loved by the White Hart Lane faithful for his passion for the club, has opened up on his own experience of working with the new Tottenham head coach.
The Brazilian spent a year on loan at Benevento back in 2018 when De Zerbi was in charge of the Italian club, and the 37-year-old confessed that there is no coach he loved working with more across his career.
When asked who was the best coach he played under, Sandro said back in 2023 to talkSPORT: “It was De Zerbi, 100 per cent.
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“I worked with him and fell in love with him in the first week … He’s got passion. He’s there every day, like a teacher. He practised a lot, the repetition.”
Sandro later told BBC Sport: “He’s a manager who wants to have the ball all the time. A very intelligent and very particular manager who thinks a lot about the game.
“He helps players and gives them the details they need to hurt the opponent. Benevento were in a very bad situation, but De Zerbi picked some players to try to improve the team and I was part of that.
“I didn’t know that I was going to meet one of the best coaches that I’ve had. It was amazing because I learned a lot from him, and I really enjoyed playing for him. I saw great things.
“When I arrived there, I was already an experienced player and I’d seen so many coaches. He made me come to games with fire, like ‘what’s he going to teach us today? What are we going to do?’ You must be good to do that. I wanted more. I wanted to play for him.”
How the Spurs players have reacted to the De Zerbi news
It has been reported by The Times that De Zerbi’s arrival has caused some excitement among the Tottenham squad.
The outlet claimed that the Spurs players who have stayed back at Hotspur Way during the international break even met for dinner to discuss their excitement about working with the former Brighton boss.