Roberto De Zerbi has been appointed as Tottenham Hotspur's new manager on a five-year contract as the club look to avoid relegation from the Premier League. However, some of the Italian's past comments have already landed him in hot water with the fans.
Spurs supporters have grown disillusioned this season as Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor both failed to keep them out of danger. De Zerbi is a highly rated coach, having done impressive jobs at both Brighton and Marseille in recent years.
But one thing that has already led to a statement from the Tottenham Supporters' Trust is his previous praise for Mason Greenwood. They worked together in France before De Zerbi was dismissed in January.
Tottenham Fans Speak Out Against De Zerbi
The Supporters' Trust have now expressed their 'serious and far-reaching concerns' about the appointment of the 46-year-old due to his past support for Greenwood. The English forward was charged with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behaviour in 2022, before the case was dropped the year after.
It led to his eventual Manchester United exit, and Spurs fans aren't impressed by what their new manager said about Greenwood when they worked together at Marseille. A statement called out his 'unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive' comments:
"De Zerbi’s comments about Mason Greenwood were unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of supporters and, without doubt, will have left victims of male violence alarmed."
“We believe these statements, left unchecked, will create a divide among supporters at a time when we all need to be pulling together to back the team. It is concerning that the club would put us in this position right when the team needs fans the most. Fans are rallying behind the ‘All Together, Always’ initiative, and this appointment places heavy strain on that unity. If those remarks reflect his genuine views, they cast a troubling shadow over the values of the club we love."
De Zerbi Labelled Greenwood a 'Good Guy'
Before the left-footed forward even signed for the Ligue 1 outfit, De Zerbi was full of praise for his ability. Labelling the ex-Man Utd player 'world-class', the Italian coach said (per The Standard):
"Mason is a world-class player, but we have not recruited him yet. I don’t know what happened, but I am not used to get involved in my players’ private life.
“But if he comes here, you have to know that I treat all my players like my sons. I can tell them off in private, but I would never attack them in public."
More controversially, he then spoke in glowing terms about the player's character in November 2025. De Zerbi described Greenwood as a 'good guy' and revealed he was 'saddened' by the way he had been portrayed in England: "He’s a good guy, he paid a heavy price for what happened, a very heavy price.