Roberto De Zerbi has been called "far from a safe pair of hands" when it comes to Tottenham's battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League this season.
With just seven games of the season to go, Spurs are looking for their third manager of the 2025/26 campaign having parted ways with Igor Tudor on Sunday.
The Croatian only managed 44 days in charge of Tottenham, having replaced the sacked Thomas Frank in February, but just one point from five Premier League matches and elimination from the UEFA Champions League has led to his demise.
Now Tottenham are looking for either another interim head coach until the end of the season, or a permanent appointment now, with De Zerbi linked with taking the reins on a permanent basis before the season is out.
De Zerbi To Get Huge Bonus For Keeping Tottenham In The Premier League
Spurs had planned on waiting until the summer to appoint a permanent successor to Frank, but Tudor's inability to save the Lilywhites from the drop has forced them to change their thinking.
De Zerbi was alongside Mauricio Pochettino as leading candidates to arrive in N17 in the summer, GIVEMESPORT understands, but now Tottenham have accelerated plans to speak with De Zerbi and offer him a hefty bonus for keeping Spurs in the top flight.
GIVEMESPORT understands that Tottenham want to appoint De Zerbi now, but the Italian will take some convincing to accept the role with only seven games of the campaign to go.
De Zerbi was described by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as "one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years" when he was at Brighton & Hove Albion and plays an open, expansive, attacking style of football that Tottenham fans will love.
De Zerbi Will Give The Spurs Fans What They Want
But is he capable of getting the Spurs players onside and fighting for the shirt to get them away from the bottom three between now and the end of the season, before really implementing his methods for the 2026/27 season?
Former Spurs player and manager Tim Sherwood is not sure.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Sherwood said: "He's got such little time, hasn't he? For anyone going in now, you have to put a question mark on it, because it's only seven games left.
"I like him, I really do. I like his personality. I said many months ago that he would be the man to come into Tottenham. I would have picked him over Mauricio Pochettino for the long term.
"He plays the style that Tottenham fans want to play. He opens up the pitch, but not now, that style is not needed now. What they need now is a safe pair of hands. This is far from a safe pair of hands, by the way. I still like him, I love his personality, I love the way his teams play, but they can be open.
Why Tottenham Could Get Hammered With De Zerbi In Charge
"They can get hammered and you can't get hammered now between now and the end of the season, we saw his Marseille team play against Liverpool. Whoever they play against, they play an open style. He opens up the pitch. It's expansive, the way he wants to play.
"We know how stubborn this man is. I mean, this man is hard to deal with, but I like him for that, because he's got his own line, and he does it his way. So that's my only reservation. I think if he can get them over the line, I think he's a perfect manager for Tottenham, taking them forward.
"The main priority, obviously, is just to keep them in the league. At the moment, he would not be that firefighter type manager who comes in for this seven-game period.
"He wanted to have a break. He finished 16th of February at Marseille there. Why didn't they bring him in then why didn't they bring him in before Igor Tudor? You would have given him another seven games to go at then I would have total confidence that he would keep him in the league. They obviously didn't want him. They didn't want him then he was available, but they didn't want him."