Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has brought a lot of optimism and tactical quality to the dressing room, and Spurs are now out of the bottom three of the Premier League with a chance to go further clear of rivals West Ham United in the relegation battle if they can take advantage of West Ham's latest loss - to Arsenal, no less- with a win over Leeds United on Monday Night Football.
De Zerbi has been behind the players through and through, even gassing up players like Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani who have not deserved it. But he is also not afraid to tell the truth about how Spurs are doing or how things are going on the news front, which is a breath of fresh air from the bizarre Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor press conferences before him.
Star right winger and attacking midfielder Dejan Kulusevski has been a big loss from the last season, suffering a knee injury so serious we still don't officially know what exactly is going on. Some weeks ago, Spurs fans had already given up hope on Kulu coming back to Tottenham, but there was optimism of him being able to play this summer at the World Cup for Sweden.
Dejan Kulusevski remains up in the air
Speaking to reporters before the Tottenham Hotspur vs. Leeds United game in the Premier League, manager Roberto De Zerbi had a realistic take on Kulusevski. Because he's not so convinced that we will be able to see Kulu at the World Cup at all, given he has not played any games this season for Spurs.
De Zerbi said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, âI donât know the situation well. I hope so but I donât know his injury and I canât say nothing more. For me, itâs difficult to understand how he can play at the World Cup if he didnât play any games this season. I texted him after [the Villa game]. He told me in the next week, I think, he comes back and I hope he can be available to stay with us in the last game because he is an amazing player.â
Although you hate to hear that from De Zerbi about Kulusevski, these are the times where you want the manager not to sugarcoat things, because De Zerbi earns more respect than he loses by being honest about his opinion here. Because he's totally right.
The better news is that De Zerbi and Kulu are in touch and that De Zerbi respects Kulu so much that, like James Maddison, he will want him in the squad whenever possible, even if he is not healthy enough to play. Maybe, just maybe, he can come back for the last game and actually get on the pitch, but it's more likely he won't. And if he can't play at the World Cup, maybe it's all for the better anyway as he looks to 2026/27 with Spurs.