It looks like Roberto De Zerbi is going to be the new permanent head coach at Tottenham Hotspur, with a breakthrough in talks between the club and the Italian over a five-year deal in N17.
Tottenham had earmarked De Zerbi as one of the standout names to arrive at the club in the summer, alongside former boss Mauricio Pochettino.
But with interim head coach Igor Tudor only lasting 44 days in charge, with just one point picked up from his five matches in charge, Spurs have accelerated plans to appoint De Zerbi early, even though the former Brighton boss was keen to wait until the summer to assess all of the options available to him.
Pep Guardiola Thinks Roberto De Zerbi Is King
Tottenham have, however, made the Italian a lucrative long-term offer, along with a sizable bonus for keeping the Lilywhites in the Premier League this season.
The question is, is it the right move?
De Zerbi is undoubtedly a talented manager, you have to be for Pep Guardiola to describe you as "one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years" when he was on the south coast.
The Coaches' Voice described De Zerbi as "liking his teams to play a possession-based style of football, focusing heavily on shorter build-up from the goalkeeper" and that it is a "high risk, high reward" approach.
It is an open, expansive and attacking style of play, normally in a 4-2-3-1 formation, that allows players to hunt down the opposition and spring traps on them. It is a brand of football that will go down well with the Tottenham Hotspur fans, who demand that attacking verve.
It is probably the right move for next season, but whether it is the correct call for the here and now, or even beyond the end of the 2026/27 season, are certainly different questions.
Tottenham are in danger of being relegated, just one point and one place off the bottom three in the Premier League with only seven games left to go. Can De Zerbi turn things around in seven games? That is the most important thing right now, the fate of the club heading into 2026/27.
Players May Not Respond To De Zerbi's Forthright Views
At Brighton he did not win any of his first five games in charge. Spurs would more than likely be relegated if that were to happen in north London now. He did, however, win four of his first five in charge of Marseille in 2024/25, but that was after a full pre-season, something he did not get at the Amex, nor will he have at Spurs.
He is a combustible character. A fiery Italian, he has and will continue to speak his mind and do things his way. That may well be a positive in giving the current crop of Tottenham players, who have been failing for too long, the rocket up the backside that they need. But will he get on with and appease the board of directors in N17?
De Zerbi wanted to move quicker than Brighton were prepared to and left his role on the south coast following a difference on opinion. He threatened to quit Marseille just five months into his reign because of issues behind the scenes.
What Spurs really need right now is stability. there has never been such a chasm of disconnect between the club, the players and their fans before and someone needs to come in and knit everything together. De Zerbi could, quite simply, make things worse.
Speaking on Talksport, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor said: "You don't need a hothead like De Zerbi to come in now and upset players again, players who didn't respond to Tudor."
Tim Sherwood described De Zerbi as "hard to deal with" on Sky Sports News claiming he was "far from a safe pair of hands".
It's hard to disagree with them.
De Zerbi Will Make Big Demands Of Tottenham Hierarchy In The Summer
If he keeps Tottenham in the Premier League, De Zerbi will want - and need - big money to spend in the summer transfer window. Spurs have never been a club that will go out and splash the cash. There are sure to be rumblings of discontent as early as the summer if De Zerbi does not get what he wants.
Next season will be a thrill ride and the football will bring the fans back and get the atmosphere rising once more, but it just all feels like it will end in tears in 18 months to two years' time when De Zerbi invariably does not get what he wants and Spurs will be back to square one again. And the Pochettino return rumours will start back up again, because, let's face it, with De Zerbi coming in, the Tottenham board are just kicking that conversation down the road.
Vinai Venkatseham and Johna Lange are already under increasing pressure from a disillusioned fanbase and they are risking everything with a controversial appointment. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that if the De Zerbi decision ends in tears, they could be packing their bags out of N17 too.