As Tottenham face the very real threat of relegation, Wanyama has called on the squad and the supporters to throw their full weight behind new appointment De Zerbi. The Italian tactician has inherited a side sitting just one point above the drop zone, but Wanyama believes the former Brighton man is the right person to steady the ship at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Addressing the appointment, Wanyama was full of praise for the new man in the dugout. "I think everyone should just rally behind him," the Kenyan said to The Times. "He’s a fantastic young coach and I think he will deliver. De Zerbi has shown that everywhere he has gone, he has improved the club. So why not with Spurs? I know he will turn things around. He’ll deliver."
The Italian has already made it clear that he is committed to the project long-term, famously stating that he will remain the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what happens with their league status.
The prospect of Spurs dropping into the Championship would have seemed impossible just two years ago, but a disastrous run of form and an unprecedented injury crisis have left the club reeling. Wanyama admitted he often has to reassure worried neighbours about the club's future.
"I would remind them how good they are," Wanyama said of the current playing staff. "And tell them they have already made history, some of them, by winning the Europa League. They need to make sure they don’t ruin what they have done before, to make sure that they take the club out of the relegation zone. And I know they’re capable of doing that because they are better than people think they are. Where they are right now, it doesn’t define them. It doesn’t define the club."
Wanyama’s most successful years came under Pochettino, who was linked with a return to Spurs before De Zerbi's appointment. While many fans had hoped for a return for the current USMNT boss, Wanyama believes the players must now find the same internal drive that the Argentine used to demand.
"He was like a father figure to everyone because he was there on the field and also off the field," Wanyama recalled. "And he demanded a lot in a very unique way. He used to treat players the way every player needed to be treated. He knew all the strengths of everyone and he knew who needed to be lifted or needed a little bit of a kick to wake up. He was always honest with me. I wanted to show him that I could stay at the highest level with the hard work that he was demanding."