Leeds United still have to play relegation rivals Tottenham this season.
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One of Leeds United’s key relegation rivals have a new manager but the same old injury issues with just seven games of the season left.
Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach on Tuesday evening, having parted ways with Igor Tudor following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest before the international break. The Croatian was in charge for just 44 days and left Spurs one point from the drop zone.
De Zerbi is believed to have signed a five-year contract with no relegation clause at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Italian has seven games to keep Tottenham afloat, one of which will see them welcome Leeds to North London in early-May - each side’s third-to-last fixture.
“I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world,” De Zerbi said following confirmation of his appointment. “In all my discussions with the club’s leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters.
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“I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it. Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.”
Injury issues continue for Tottenham
Tottenham’s first game under De Zerbi is at Sunderland but the new head coach is already facing the possibility of a fresh injury blow. Midfielder Pape Sarr missed Senegal’s 3-1 win over Gambia on Tuesday, reportedly due to a shoulder issue.
Sarr has over a week to recover from any issue before Tottenham go to the Stadium of Light but his absence would only add to a long list of first-team absentees. Any time out of training would also be an issue, given the complexity of De Zerbi’s style and lack of time to start getting results.
Sarr has played 22 Premier League games so far this season, registering two goals and three assists. The energetic midfielder has been one of Tottenham’s most consistent performers.
De Zerbi already has several first-team players out injured. Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Yves Bissouma are all currently sidelined.