Tottenham Hotspur have finalised an agreement with Roberto De Zerbi to take over as their new manager immediately, according to Corriere Dello Sport.
Spurs currently sit just one point above the relegation zone in the Premier League with seven games remaining of the season, which saw them part ways with interim manager Igor Tudor just 44 days after his arrival, where he replace Thomas Frank.
The north London club have been pushing for the arrival of De Zerbi, their 'dream' appointment, in recent days as they look to secure their Premier League status, and an agreement has now been found for him to step in immediately rather than in the summer.
Tottenham Agree De Zerbi Deal
According to Sky Sports Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, there is a preliminary agreement in place between the parties over a five-year deal, and only the final details remain before an official announcement.
But in Italy, Corriere Dello Sport have gone one step further and declared it a 'done deal', with De Zerbi expected to put pen to paper on a deal in the coming hours. He is expected to take charge of his first game on April 12th, when Spurs travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland.
He will now be tasked with avoiding a drop to the Championship before rebuilding the squad in the summer in his image to make the current Europa League holders competitive once again.
Tottenham Taking Big Gamble With De Zerbi
One of the great tacticians in world football at the moment, De Zerbi is someone who Spurs have selected because of his attacking style of football that they saw while he was at Brighton and Marseille.
But handing the Italian a five-year deal is a huge gamble. Not only is there no guarantee that he can keep them in the Premier League in the final seven games, but he has never spent two seasons at any club as a manager despite regularly being praised.
At Marseille he walked away from the job in the middle of the season because of poor performances, and should he do the same at Spurs it would leave them right back at square one. It's a great appointment, and the board have been desperate for him, but time will tell if it was the right decision.