/https://sportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net/uploads/2025/10/imago1067800711-1-68f0930c958a7403539499.jpg "Roberto De Zerbi suffers unwanted first before first Tottenham match as Premier League relegation battle heats up - Sports Mole")
New Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi has ended the day in the Premier League bottom three for the first time in his career.
Spurs were sitting just one point clear of the bottom three when De Zerbi was named as Igor Tudor's successor.
However, their precarious situation has taken a turn for the worse before the 46-year-old has even taken charge of his first match as Tottenham boss.
That is because they have dropped into the bottom three following West Ham United's emphatic 4-0 win over basement side Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday evening.
West Ham condemn De Zerbi to Premier League first
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Taty Castellanos both netted braces in a commanding win for Nuno Espirito Santos's side, moving them out of the drop zone and two points above the drop zone.
As a result of West Ham's win, De Zerbi finishes the night with his team in the relegation zone for the first time in his career as a Premier League manager.
The Italian managed to avoid the drop zone in his two seasons as Brighton & Hove Albion head coach.
The Seagulls finished in sixth and 11th spot under De Zerbi's watch, a world away from the relegation battle he has taken on at Tottenham.
When were Spurs last in the relegation zone?
Not only is De Zerbi in unfamiliar territory, but Spurs find themselves in the drop zone for the first time since August 2015.
In fact, the north London club are down in the bottom three after a minimum of three matches of a single Premier League season for the first time since January 2009.
Spurs know they will finish matchday 32 in 18th place if they fail to take maximum points from De Zerbi's first game in charge against Sunderland on Sunday.
The former Marseille boss needs to lift a side that have failed to win their last 13 league matches since Crystal Palace in December.
Tottenham have avoided defeat in their previous 15 Premier league games against Sunderland, although they had to settle for a 1-1 draw in January's reverse fixture.