A former Spurs star has lifted the lid on what it's like playing under Tottenham's new boss Roberto De Zerbi
Former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg heaped praise on new Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi. Hojbjerg departed north London on a permanent basis last summer following an initial loan campaign at Marseille, where he teamed up with the Italian.
The ex-Brighton manager had also arrived on the French coast in the summer of 2024. He parted ways with the Ligue 1 club in February by mutual agreement after a 5-0 hammering from Paris St-Germain and elimination from the Champions League by Club Brugge.
Hojbjerg was a regular fixture in De Zerbi's midfield throughout the 46-year-old's tenure at the club. In an interview with Onze Mondial back in November 2025, the Denmark international waxed lyrical about his then boss, and his comments will surely fuel excitement among the Tottenham faithful.
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"I've been lucky enough to have coaches like [Pep] Guardiola, José Mourinho, and Antonio Conte. And I put Roberto De Zerbi in the same category," he said.
"Over the next 20 years, coach De Zerbi is going to contribute enormously to football. And for me, it's an honour to work with him. The coach... I don't know how to explain it. He has a connection with the dressing room, he has an emotional relationship with the dressing room, Mourinho had the same thing.
"Roberto De Zerbi has a feel for the dressing room, he understands the atmosphere, he grasps the behaviours, he knows in advance what's going to happen the next day... (he pauses). Okay, I'll stop there, otherwise I'll end up saying too many wonderful things (smiles). It's an honour to work with such a coach, in any case."
Hojbjerg's comments mirror those of Brighton defender Lewis Dunk. The centre-half similarly praised De Zerbi in glowing terms, revealing how the manager has transformed his understanding of football, which will no doubt excite Spurs supporters about what lies ahead.
"I see football in a completely different way, I picture it in a different way and that is the biggest thing," Dunk said in 2023. "Football is not what I thought it was. Just how we play now. The idea of what I did before, I thought it made sense.
"But when you learn something completely different, you believe in it and this makes sense. You think, 'Why didn't I know this?' And, 'Why didn't I do this before?' The style of play, really. Before, I didn't really know about that. It's all about the finer details."
Reports suggested that De Zerbi initially wanted to delay accepting the Spurs position until the summer. Nevertheless, he was persuaded to take charge straight away during talks with the club's top brass.
He's now amongst the Premier League's best-paid bosses following a lucrative five-year contract. Concerns that the Italian could depart should Spurs suffer relegation this campaign have also been dismissed by the new head coach.
"I signed five years of contract because, for me, it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what," De Zerbi said upon his announcement.
"Tottenham, especially in this moment, is maybe the the most important challenge in my career - I'm ready to start this challenge. It's a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham but I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment."