Roberto De Zerbi could already have an exit plan in mind at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Italian has only been in charge for three games and has already faced an up-and-down start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
He has already overseen one win, one draw and a loss, leaving the Lilywhites still within the bottom three of the Premier League.
The former Marseille boss has suggested that he would remain in N17 in the case of relegation, but it is unclear how faithful he is being.
De Zerbi may already have an eye on a way out of Tottenham as his side looks nervously over their shoulder at a drop into the Championship.
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Tottenham may have pay-off set for Roberto De Zerbi exit
The North London club certainly don’t have the best recent record when it comes to hiring and firing managers.
Three head coaches have come through the door at Hotspur Way this season, while no one has truly managed to replace Ange Postecoglou.
De Zerbi has now been handed that mantle, but there is no guarantee of success despite his highly rated status in the dugout.
Spurs may have learned by now to introduce decreased exit clauses for their managers and must follow that with the Italian.
Former Lilywhites scout Bryan King believes the ex-Brighton man will receive months, rather than years, worth of payment if he is to leave N17 early.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, King said: “He’s signed a five-and-a-half-year contract, so I bet there’s a pre-nuptial agreement in there somewhere.
“I have no idea why they’ve put it in on such a long deal. He’s probably earning about £50million across his contract, plus whatever bonuses come with that.
“He’ll get over £1m for keeping them up.
“If I were Tottenham, there would be no way that if things went pear-shaped, I’d give him five years’ money.
“They’ve already paid Postecoglou and Frank off, and yet they carry on.
“I’d say he’ll only get six months’ worth if things don’t go well and he’s sacked.”
De Zerbi has already come under fire at Tottenham, but may have one eye on a departure before he’s even begun.
What is De Zerbi’s track record for leaving jobs?
This area of his contract may be solely down to precaution from the Lilywhites after so much turmoil in recent months.
That may not be helped by the fact that De Zerbi tends to move on to pastures new quite quickly as a manager.
He spent less than a year at Palermo, just two years at Benevento and Shakhtar Donetsk, while having slightly longer spells at Marseille and Brighton.
That may not stand him in good stead to stick things out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, especially if his side are relegated to the Championship.
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