Roberto De Zerbi is now open to taking over at Tottenham Hotspur.
Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that the Italian is considering a long-term contract proposal at Hotspur Way, as talks continue over an agreement.
Igor Tudor was eventually sacked on Sunday, with Spurs taking half of the international break to make a decision over the Croatian.
Tottenham are currently one spot and one point above the Premier League relegation zone, as they hunt for their third manager of the season already.
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Roberto De Zerbi to Tottenham could happen soon
With talks underway to find an agreement, something must have changed.
De Zerbi was first said to be reluctant to take over at this stage of a relegation battle after recently leaving Marseille in France, so it’s a big U-turn.
Di Marzio went on to share that a five-year contract was on the table for the Italian, with the next few hours decisive over the final decision.
Despite not being sure, Tottenham have offered De Zerbi the guarantee that they will build a strong and competitive team from next season.
That will all depend on whether they stay in the Premier League, though.
Mauricio Pochettino dream is over
The whole idea of initially appointing Tudor until the end of the season was to push for Mauricio Pochettino once the World Cup was over.
But, Spurs royally messed up, and are now staring down the barrel of relegation, with the thought of another interim manager unacceptable, it seems.
Pochettino has made it clear that he would likely return to North London after leading the USMNT into their home World Cup, but that looks over now.
De Zerbi has become available, and Tottenham simply haven’t learned.
Offering a five-year contract and assurances that may never happen could leave them in exactly the same spot next season, if that is in the Premier League at all.
If it goes wrong, the Lewis family and ENIC are left with another multi-million-pound payment to escape it, when money could be tighter than ever.
For now, it appears every ounce of energy is going into appointing De Zerbi. Let’s just hope that everything doesn’t backfire spectacularly.