Sherwood names manager who is 'perfect' for Tottenham to replace Frank

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has named his ideal candidate to take over from Thomas Frank

Sign up to our LondonWorld Today newsletter

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to LondonWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

Tottenham Hotspur retain faith in Thomas Frank as head coach at present but it is thought that the Dane must turn things around soon, as pressure from the Lilywhites fanbase continues to intensify.

Spurs fans were heard chanting that they want Frank to be dismissed following another disappointing performance in a 2-2 draw away at Burnley, calling for the former Brentford boss to be “sacked in the morning” after just two Premier League victories in the last 14 matches have left Spurs eight points above the relegation zone.

The north London side have performed well in the Champions League, and it is believed that Frank will remain in charge for their final match of the competition’s league phase against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night. How long thereafter he will remain in the job is not known.

Former Spurs player and manager Tim Sherwood has revealed his ideal candidate to take over if Frank were to be dismissed from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Sherwood names Roberto De Zerbi as ‘perfect’ Tottenham manager

Speaking live on Sky Sports News on Monday morning, Sherwood revealed that he believes Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi would be “perfect” for Tottenham, and that the former Brighton boss is a “realistic” candidate who would play the attacking brand of football fans crave at Spurs.

Sherwood said: “Short term, you have to find out who’s there for Tottenham. If they were to make a change and there was a clean slate and you could pick the managers, who I think would be attracted to the job, I would go for De Zerbi at Marseille.

“For the style of play, I think he’s absolutely, bang on perfect for what Tottenham fans are looking for.”

He continued: “They always play on the front foot, and he has an attacking style of football. My only issue is that he can sometimes be a bit prickly. I’m not sure if it will work in the boardroom. I think it’s a realistic move, but he would need to know how the club is being run and if he is in charge of the recruitment.”

Would De Zerbi be a good fit in north London?

De Zerbi has already proven his credentials managing in the Premier League with Brighton, whom he led to the club’s highest-ever top-flight finish of 6th in 2022/23. He also led the Seagulls into Europe for the first time in their history, where they reached the Europa League round of 16.

The 46-year-old Italian also managed Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk prior to Brighton and has stepped up well to one of the giants of Europe in Marseille, leading his side to second place in Ligue 1 in his first season at the club.

Sherwood has mentioned De Zerbi in connection with the Tottenham job before and it will make intriguing viewing whether he would leave Marseille in order to return to the Premier League. Links with Manchester United have emerged in the past after his unprecedented success at Brighton, and Sherwood evidently feels that the Italian would be a hit in north London. With his exciting brand of play and strong personality, the signs are there that De Zerbi has the ability to turn things around if handed the reigns at Spurs.