Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro says he ‘doesn’t know yet’ whether he will be part of Roberto De Zerbi’s coaching staff this season.
The Italian manager signed a five-year deal with the north London club this week and could go into his first game next weekend at Sunderland with a potentially new-look coaching team.
De Zerbi is used to bringing a large backroom staff with him to clubs, and reports in Italy have named former AC Milan and Italy defender Alessandro Nesta as a possible addition.
However, it appears the Italian will not be making his way to N17 as things stand, as he is instead focused on taking another head coach role.
Sandro, as quoted by Spurs Army, has issued an update on joining De Zerbi at Tottenham before the end of the campaign, saying he ‘doesn’t know yet’ whether the move will happen.
Sandro was captain at Serie A side Benevento under De Zerbi and completed a coaching internship with Brighton, where the Italian spent almost two seasons.
Sandro only worked with De Zerbi for one season at Benevento but revealed he ‘fell in love in a week’ with the Italian, also praising him as the best coach he worked under.
The former Brazil international spent four years at Tottenham from 2010 to 2014, making 106 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals.
Tottenham Considered Re-Hiring Postecoglou
Tottenham considered re-hiring former manager Ange Postecoglou before bringing in De Zerbi on a five-year deal.
According to journalist Alasdair Gold, the north London club ‘very briefly’ looked at Postecoglou’s candidacy following the Australian’s sacking at Nottingham Forest:
“They did look at other short-term options as well. I am told that they, very briefly, did consider a short-term return for Ange Postecoglou and when I say brief, I mean literally, that really shouldn't be made into anything more than that.”
Postecoglou was relieved of his duties at Spurs at the end of last season after leading the club to the Europa League title in his second year.
De Zerbi Among Best-Paid Managers
De Zerbi’s eye-watering deal at Tottenham has made him one of the best-paid managers in the Premier League, with the Italian set to pocket around £8 million per year.
Only Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta are believed to be on more lucrative deals than the Italian, who officially replaced Igor Tudor as Spurs boss on Tuesday.