Roberto De Zerbi has agreed to become the next Tottenham manager. The Italian boss was Spurs' first-choice replacement for Igor Tudor and talks have now concluded.
The Times reports that an agreement has been reached over a five-year contract and an announcement will be made in the next 24 hours. De Zerbi left Marseille in February and will now turn his attention to trying to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Spurs are 17th, one point above the relegation zone, having not won in 13 matches. De Zerbi's deal includes a huge bonus that will be paid if Spurs avoid relegation to the Championship.
Negotiations are understood to have centred around the make-up of his coaching staff, with consideration given to including someone familiar with the club. It has been reported that De Zerbi will earn an annual salary of £12million to 15million, which will make him the third-highest paid Premier League manager behind Pep Guardiola (£20m) and Mikel Arteta (£15m).
It comes after Tudor lasted just 44 days in charge and took just one point in the league having arriving to replace Thomas Frank.
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Former Monaco boss Adi Hutter, German coaches Edin Terzic and Marco Rose, two-time former caretaker head coach Ryan Mason, ex-Tottenham striker Robbie Keane and ex-Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche were all considered. But De Zerbi was always the top choice for chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange.
Spurs' hierarchy are under huge pressure to make the right choice, having overseen a shambolic campaign. They have decided to switch boss again, having been given a huge gap in the schedule by the international break and the FA Cup quarter finals - a competition Spurs are no longer in - taking place this weekend.
De Zerbi's first game in charge will come away to Sunderland on April 12. Spurs have not won a Premier League game in 2026, drawing five and losing eight of their last 13 matches. Tudor's last game in charge was the 3-0 home defeat by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on March 22.
Tudor claimed just one point during his time in charge, from a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield, while his only win came against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, and wasn't enough to overturn a first-leg deficit.
De Zerbi will return to the Premier League, having previously managed Brighton between 2022 and 2024. After replacing Graham Potter in September 2022, De Zerbi guided the Seagulls to sixth in his maiden campaign before finishing 11th in 2023/24.
He left Brighton by mutual agreement in the summer of 2024 and moved to Marseille, where he won 39 of his 69 games in charge. The 46-year-old left the French giants in February following a 5-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain and an exit from the Champions League at the hands of Club Brugge.
He guided Marseille to second in Ligue 1 in his maiden campaign and left them in fourth place.