Tottenham could be forced into a situation where they sack Roberto De Zerbi if Mauricio Pochettino keeps hinting that he wants the job, according to a former Spurs scout.
The north London side have had a nightmare start to the new season after narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day of last term.
ENIC jumped into life over the summer with a huge rebuild which saw them spend over £300m on new signings and bring in big-name players like Sandro Tonali.
After back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, Tottenham lost their opening two fixtures of the season to Brentford and Newcastle United before recording consecutive 0-0 draws to put them in, you guessed it, 17th position.
It’s very early in the season, but Tottenham have failed to score a Premier League goal this season, and there is already pressure building on De Zerbi.
Spurs have Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea in their next four Premier League matches and things could get tense if they aren’t in a better position come the end of October.
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When asked “what’s going on at Spurs” on USA Sports, David Ornstein said over the weekend: “It feels like it’s history repeating itself. We’ve just passed the one-year anniversary of Daniel Levy leaving the club after 25 years at the helm and that saw the Lewis family almost reclaim control.
“You could ask what they were doing as ultimate owners in that period – but it set off the most remarkable overhaul we’ve seen in probably modern Premier League history. Where they came along with big promises for more wins, more regularly, huge spending.
“And they’ve certainly embarked upon that. Of course the managerial upheaval at the club led them to Roberto De Zerbi and they went all in on him. A five-year contract, no clause in the event of relegation to depart and a massive salary.
“He’s paid among the very biggest managers in the Premier League and European football. They got going in the market in remarkable fashion, in terms of numbers, in terms of transfer fees, in terms of salaries, which Tottenham had been so spendthrift on in the past.
“At the heart of it was Vinai Venkatesham, the chief executive, Johan Lange, the sporting director. They brought in a director of football operations from Manchester City in Rafael Moersen and also tried to get the former Borussia Dortmund executive Sebastian Kehl to help. That deal fell through but really at the heart of it all has been Roberto De Zerbi.
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“They’ve given him power in a way that no Tottenham Hotspur manager has seen before and they rebuilt the defence, the midfield, the attack. It’s a team that looks so different in personnel but at the moment not in results.
“Now it’s going to be a really interesting period ahead based on what they are going to do in the next windows because Peter Charrington, the non-executive chairman, has said it will take multiple transfer windows to get to where they want to be.
“As you said at the top, there’s very little patience, they are asking for time and Roberto De Zerbi will be judged ultimately as the man on the touchline.
“It would be very expensive if they were to part with him but I don’t think that’s on the agenda for now. I think it’s all about him getting results on the pitch and extracting maximum performances after the best part of £400m was spent. Now it’s time to deliver.”
Could Pochettino spell the end for De Zerbi at Tottenham?
Former Tottenham scout Mick Brown – who is still well-connected at the club – insists that ex-boss Pochettino flirting with a return to Spurs could be De Zerbi’s eventual downfall in north London.
Brown told Football Insider: “Mauricio Pochettino has made no secret of the fact he would like to return to Tottenham.
“It feels like he’s been linked with a return ever since he left, every time a Tottenham manager is under pressure it seems he is the name who gets mentioned with the role.
“Coming out and saying again that he would be keen to return, while they’re having a poor start to the season and De Zerbi is under pressure, will only ramp up that pressure.
“Even if it’s unlikely that he could come back at this moment, speaking about the position can change the mood and atmosphere around the club and especially the fans.
“Lots of them will have positive memories about Pochettino’s tenure, and may now be dreaming of him coming back, while De Zerbi continues to struggle for results.
“Then, it build frustrations, that build more pressure, and then eventually the club are forced to make a decision about his future.
“I’m not sure who it serves, making comments about the job and wanting to come back one day, because it certainly doesn’t help De Zerbi and the position he’s in.”