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The Independent’s Miguel Delaney has suggested that one of Tottenham’s rivals could attempt an audacious move for Roberto De Zerbi this summer under one condition.

De Zerbi has signed an extremely lucrative five-year deal with Tottenham, which has seen him become one of the highest-paid managers in the Premier League.

The Italian has refuted suggestions that he joined Spurs for financial reasons, making it clear that he has a long-term vision at the club.

However, it has now been suggested that the 46-year-old could be poached by one of Tottenham’s fierce rivals this season, depending on what happens over the coming weeks.

Chelsea could look to poach Roberto De Zerbi if Tottenham get relegated

Chelsea are now searching for a new manager after parting ways with Liam Rosenior, and Miguel Delaney has now revealed that the Blues are big fans of De Zerbi.

He claimed that many are discussing the possibility of the West London club making a move for the former Brighton boss in the summer if Tottenham are unable to stay in the Premier League.

Delaney wrote in The Independent’s Insider Football Newsletter about Chelsea’s managerial search: “They would love Andoni Iraola, but so would many other clubs. He is likely to have his pick and is a more romantic figure than most – although it is understood Chelsea have not been completely ruled out. The Basque would still have to weigh up the same issue as others: whether this squad is really suited to his football.

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”And then there is a murmur that will not go away. Chelsea have long admired Roberto De Zerbi. If Tottenham Hotspur were to go down, could that appointment become possible? More than a few are talking about it.”

De Zerbi has already made a guarantee to Spurs about next season

It would certainly be a huge embarrassment for Tottenham if they go down and one of their fierce rivals poach the manager they had just hired and bet the house on.

However, De Zerbi has guaranteed that he will be at Spurs next season even if the club find themselves in the Championship.

An update from Germany has revealed what Sebastian Kehl is thinking after being approached by Tottenham Hotspur over becoming their next sporting director.

It has been widely reported over the past few days that Kehl has emerged as Tottenham’s top target for the sporting director role ahead of the summer window.

It has been claimed that the Lilywhites are currently locked in ‘intensive negotiations’ with the German director.

Interestingly, multiple sources have suggested that Spurs want Kehl to work together with Johan Lange to rebuild their squad this summer.

Sebastian Kehl ‘weighing up’ Tottenham move after Borussia Dortmund exit

A new report in BILD has now also confirmed that the 46-year-old has indeed been approached by the North London club.

The report suggests that Kehl has not made a final decision on his future just yet and is ‘weighing up’ whether he wants to join the Premier League side.

It is revealed that the former Dortmund director is not sure yet if he wants to return to football so soon, having only left the Bundesliga club last month.

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The outlet suggests that a return to the ‘big stage of football’ could be premature at this stage for Kehl, who is yet to make a final decision on his future as he continues to assess his options.

Two other clubs are battling Spurs for Kehl

Bild say that the Spurs target is not short of admirers, with his network, experience and leadership qualities being highly valued by many clubs.

Hamburg and Wolfsburg have also been mooted as potential destinations for Kehl, with the two Bundesliga sides also searching for a new sporting director.

One would imagine that Tottenham’s quest to secure their Premier League status could also have a bearing on the 46-year-old’s decision.

The Sun’s Tom Barclay has revealed what he has heard about the relationship between Xavi Simons and Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham.

Xavi produced what was arguably his best performance in a Tottenham shirt against Brighton, delivering a sublime assist and an outstanding goal, but it was not enough to take the Lilywhites to their first league win of 2026.

Spurs fans will be hoping that the performance is a sign of things to come for the Dutchman, who has not found his transition to the Premier League easier since his £51m move from RB Leipzig last summer.

Xavi has said he is enjoying working with De Zerbi, and a journalist has now shared an interesting revelation about the pair’s relationship.

Xavi Simons feels Roberto De Zerbi trusts him more than previous Tottenham managers

De Zerbi has already said that he has a special connection with Xavi, since he too was a number ten during his playing days.

Tom Barclay has now revealed that the pair have already become close and that the attacking midfielder feels the Italian trusts him more than his predecessors did.

Barclay said on the Tottenham Way podcast: “I’ve heard from people quite close to Xavi, that they’ve had quite good connections so far him and De Zerbi. I think Xavi really likes him, and he feels like he’s being counted on maybe more than previous managers.”

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Xavi makes promise to Spurs fans ahead of final five matches

The Netherlands international would have thought he would be the hero for his side last Sunday, and his emotions came pouring out after he had scored Tottenham’s second on 77 minutes.

However, it was Brighton who had the last laugh as Georginio Rutter netted a stoppage-time equaliser, with the attacking midfielder looking distraught at the final whistle.

Tottenham Hotspur have clarified their stance on signing Joao Palhinha permanently this summer from Bayern Munich as the midfielder’s loan spell at the club nears its end.

The Portuguese star has not always been a regular in the starting eleven, particularly since the exit of Thomas Frank, and his future remains up in the air.

Tottenham have the option to sign Palhinha permanently for £22m this summer, but it is unclear if the Lilywhites will activate that option.

Reports have suggested that Frank’s exit from Spurs has put the midfielder’s future at the club in doubt, and there has been a new update from Germany about the 30-year-old’s future.

Tottenham willing to sign Joao Palhinha permanently under one condition

Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has now revealed that the Lilywhites have been pleased with the former Fulham man this season and are willing to consider buying him.

However, the North London club are not willing to activate €25m (£22m) to buy and want Bayern Munich to offer them a discount.

Plettenberg wrote on X: “Tottenham are happy with Palhinha. Spurs can imagine triggering the option to buy, but want to renegotiate with FC Bayern. What was agreed at the time: option to buy set at €25m guaranteed, with potential add-ons that could raise the fee to up to €30m.

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“If Bayern do not lower the price, a purchase is unlikely. Final decision after the end of the season. Bayern are open to a sale. Contract valid until 2028.”

Would Roberto De Zerbi want Palhinha at Spurs next season?

De Zerbi has repeatedly reiterated that he wants the Tottenham players to be brave on the ball, with the Italian very much believing in keeping possession and committing bodies in attack.

Palhinha’s inability to progress the ball appears to be his biggest weakness, and one can argue that he is not a natural fit for the Italian’s system.

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s relegation rivals have suffered a setback, potentially handing the Lilywhites a big chance to close the gap when they travel to Wolves tomorrow.

Opta’s Supercomputer now considers Tottenham huge favourites to go down, but the race for survival is still far from over, with Spurs sitting just two points behind West Ham, with 15 points still left to play for.

Opta have suggested that the Hammers are the only side that the Lilywhites are likely to catch, with Nottingham Forest handed just a 4.3 per cent chance of being relegated.

That is understandable given that Forest have moved five points clear of Spurs after picking up seven points from their last nine on offer, but the Midlands side will feel they still need at least one or two more wins to be assured of safety.

Boost for Tottenham as Nottingham Forest will be without their best player for Sunderland clash

Forest have already lost Callum Hudson-Odoi for the rest of the season due to a quadriceps injury, and GiveMeSport have now revealed that another of their key players has sustained an injury.

Vitor Pereira’s side travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland this evening, and it has now been revealed that Murillo has been ruled out of the clash.

The Brazilian, who has been one of the club’s best players this season, was forced off during the first half of the 4-1 win against Burnley last Sunday.

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It has now been confirmed that Murillo has suffered an unidentified muscle injury and will not make the trip to the Stadium of Light.

A Sunderland win this evening will significantly boost Spurs’ survival chances

If the Black Cats win this evening, Tottenham will go into the clash at Molineux Stadium knowing that they could move within two points of Forest.

That will turn the race to avoid relegation from a two-horse race into a three-horse one, which will significantly boost the Lilywhites’ chances of staying in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur could see their hopes of Premier League survival significantly boosted this weekend as the historical record of the clash between West Ham and Everton suggests a difficult afternoon awaits the Hammers in East London.

Tottenham Hotspur will certainly have to rely on help from elsewhere in their fight to avoid relegation this season, with five games left to be played.

Spurs are in the bottom three of the Premier League table and are two points adrift of safety, with West Ham United occupying 17th place.

The Hammers could have opened up a bigger gap this gameweek, but their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace saw them pass up the opportunity to go four points clear of the relegation zone.

That leaves Tottenham with some hope heading into matchweek 34, as a victory over Wolves could see Spurs leave the bottom three, but only if West Ham fails to win against Everton.

Tottenham’s survival hopes are boosted as West Ham United face a difficult Everton record

A look at the record between West Ham and Everton in the Premier League could well leave the Lilywhites quietly optimistic about their chances.

That is because Nuno’s men have won just three of their last 17 Premier League home games against Everton, along with five draws and nine losses.

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However, it is not all gloom for the Hammers, as the recent meetings between the two sides have seen Nuno’s men unbeaten.

Nonetheless, Everton’s record remains impressive, as they have won more Premier League games against West Ham both overall (29) and away from home (13) than they have against any other opponent in the competition.

Roberto De Zerbi must ensure Spurs capitalise on any West Ham dropped points

Spurs Web has attempted to predict how the relegation battle will unfold for the remainder of the season, and for this particular gameweek, we have forecast a draw between Everton and West Ham United.

Should the Hammers indeed drop points in this fixture, Tottenham must be prepared to capitalise if they are to leapfrog their rivals and move toward safety.

However, while Spurs supporters might fancy their chances of doing so against an already relegated Wolves side, the recent head-to-head record between Tottenham and Wolves suggests that the North London club could still struggle to secure a result.

The Premier League’s key match incident (KMI) panel delivered a frustrating verdict on a key refereeing decision in Tottenham’s 1-0 loss away to Sunderland.

In the 63rd minute of the match between Spurs and Sunderland earlier this month, Black Cats striker Bryan Brobbey was competing for a long ball with Spurs defender Cristian Romero.

Romero used his body to shield the ball from Brobbey, but a two-handed push from the Netherlands attacker resulted in the Spurs centre-back colliding with his goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, seriously injuring both.

The collision resulted in a partial knee ligament tear, which ended Romero’s Premier League season while putting his World Cup campaign with Argentina in serious doubt.

Too little too late for Tottenham after KMI panel announcement

To add insult to injury, the Premier League’s KMI panel, an advisory body made up of three former players and a representative from the PGMOL and the Premier League each, have now ruled that Bryan Brobbey should have been awarded a yellow card for his push on Romero (BBC).

Brobbey, who was already on a yellow for an earlier altercation with Pedro Porro, would have been sent off if the correct decision had been made on the pitch according to the KMI.

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In a 3:2 vote, the panel ruled that the referee Rob Jones made a serious mistake during the match in not booking the Dutch forward again.

Spurs went on to lose the game 1-0, a loss which only deepened their relegation crisis, while a sending off for Brobbey would have forced the Black Cats to play the last 30 minutes of the match down to 10 men.

Even more worryingly, this is only another in a series of refereeing mistakes and controversial decisions made by referees this season.

Is refereeing getting worse? Spurs fans may think so

According to rulings made by the KMI, Rob Jones has been at fault for multiple errors during games and has one of the worst records in terms of failing to award a second yellow card. Jones is responsible for five of the 12 mistakes made this season in failing to give a second booking during a match.

This marks yet another referring error with serious consequences made by Premier League referees and highlights the ever-worsening refereeing standards in England’s top division.

Spurs fans will vividly remember their frustration when three completely contradictory rulings on fouls in the box were made in Tottenham’s matches.

Goals against Spurs were given in their clashes against Fulham and Liverpool, despite the goals following a push on Spurs’ defenders. Most famously, Randal Kolo Muani’s North London Derby goal was ruled out for his incredibly soft push on Gabriel.

With multiple rounds of the Premier League still left, we have already seen more refereeing errors than over the course of last season entirely (58 errors as of end of March, to 44 last year).

Roberto De Zerbi has leapt to the defence of Kevin Danso after a difficult moment against Brighton, making his stance clear as Tottenham Hotspur continue their fight for survival.

The Premier League table could have looked very different for Tottenham Hotspur had they seen out their 2-1 lead against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.

It was a much-improved performance from Spurs, arguably their best this year, as they looked sharper in attack and solid defensively, restricting Brighton to an xG of 0.82.

However, a lapse in concentration from Kevin Danso gave Brighton a late opportunity to pull the game back, and they took their chance when Georginio Rutter struck late.

Tottenham Kevin Danso backed by Roberto De Zerbi after incident

That draw did Tottenham little good as they remained in the bottom three of the Premier League table with five games to play.

Spurs now remain two points adrift of safety, but there is hope they can leave the drop zone this week if they beat Wolves and West Ham United fail to beat Everton.

Unfortunately, Danso’s mistake from last weekend led to racist abuse from a small number of individuals. There is no room for racism in football or at Spurs, and De Zerbi made that stance clear in his latest press conference, telling football.london: “I was very annoyed by the racist insults towards Kevin, but he has to be calm and I am proud of him.

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“He played a fantastic game. Not a good game but a fantastic game. I do not consider one mistake. He will be here next season because he is a good guy, a very good player and every one of us is lucky to work with him.”

Spurs rely on Kevin Danso as defensive injuries continue

Danso has been a reliable performer for Tottenham, often delivering consistent displays whenever he is called upon at the back.

In the game against Brighton, it was more of the same from the Austrian, whose underlying numbers remained solid:

Roberto De Zerbi has delivered the latest on Guglielmo Vicario’s fitness, with Tottenham Hotspur continuing to battle through an injury-hit period at a crucial stage of the season.

Since Roberto De Zerbi took charge of Tottenham Hotspur, the Spurs boss has had to contend with several injuries.

Mohammed Kudus was the first to suffer a setback, one that requires surgery and rules him out for the rest of the season, before Cristian Romero followed suit in the same week.

Destiny Udogie has now become the latest to join the treatment room, having picked up a muscular injury in training, leaving Spurs without six players heading into the game against Wolves.

With several players picking up injuries, Spurs, however, will be hoping to welcome a few back. According to the latest injury timeline, Guglielmo Vicario looked set for a return this week.

The Spurs number one went under the knife during the last international break, undergoing surgery on his hernia, which has kept him out for over a month.

The Tottenham boss has now provided an update on the Italian ahead of the Wolves game, revealing that he will not be available.

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He told football.london: “He is not available for tomorrow. I hope he can start with me from Monday.

“Antonin is playing very well. I hope Vicario can come back in the best physical condition because he is a very important player for us.”

Spurs face goalkeeping decision as Guglielmo Vicario recovers

Of course, Vicario is an important player for Tottenham as he brings leadership to a backline that has already lost its captain in Cristian Romero.

However, questions remain about the Italian’s technical ability with the ball at his feet, which has been far from convincing this season.

Antonin Kinsky, on the other hand, has looked more comfortable in possession, and his composure allows those around him to play out from pressure more easily.

A German football expert has revealed how Tottenham fans should be feeling after the Lilywhites made Sebastian Kehl their top target for the sporting director role.

Reports indicate that Spurs have held talks with Sebastian Kehl over their sporting director role after the German parted ways with Borussia Dortmund.

Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg revealed earlier this week that the German director had become Tottenham’s top target for the sporting director role.

He explained that Spurs’ plan is to partner Kehl with their existing sporting director, Johan Lange, to rebuild their squad this summer.

The Athletic have now backed up every word of what Plettenberg reported regarding the Lilywhites’ pursuit of the 46-year-old director.

The outlet also spoke to German football expert Seb Stafford-Bloor on Kehl’s time at Dortmund, with the journalist explaining that the 46-year-old has mixed results at the Bundesliga club.

Stafford-Bloor said: “Kehl’s four years at Dortmund were difficult. The period marked a significant shift away from their traditional recruitment strategy, with the focus moving towards mid-career players and away from the elite, younger prospects with which the club was more often associated. They wanted to become more emotionally stable and less dependent on volatile young careers.

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“The results were mixed. Dortmund came extremely close to winning the Bundesliga in 2023, losing out to Bayern Munich on the season’s final day. They also reached the Champions League final in 2024, losing 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley. However, there has been a lack of coaching stability, with Dortmund employing four head coaches (Marco Rose, Edin Terzic, Nuri Sahin and Niko Kovac) across Kehl’s four years, and supporters have frequently bemoaned the club’s transfer policy and a perceived loss of technical identity.

“There have been some significant recruiting misses. Dortmund came close to signing Rayan Cherki in January 2025, only to fail in a late bid. In addition, moves this season for Jobe Bellingham and Yan Couto are yet to pay off. At the same time, Kehl has moved quite well through the market: the signing of wing-back Daniel Svensson, initially on loan last season, has proven extremely smart and big money purchases of Serhou Guirassy, Felix Nmecha and Nico Schlotterbeck have all been relative successes.”

Kehl was working under difficult circumstances at Dortmund

However, Stafford-Bloor explained that the former German international was working in a difficult environment at Westfalenstadion at a time of upheaval at the club.

The journalist suggested that his exit from Dortmund following four years as the sporting director was partly political.

He added: “The wider context matters, too. Kehl was sporting director at Dortmund during a period of significant political upheaval. In 2024, Lars Ricken, formerly the club’s head of academy, was promoted into a newly created sporting CEO role, in preparation for the departure of Hans-Joachim Watzke, who had been CEO since 2006. It was a role that Kehl wanted, but which he was overlooked for.

“The resulting dynamic between him and Ricken was tricky. Externally, it was never quite clear who held ultimate authority for recruitment, and while the club always denied that there was any friction between the two, stories about the relationship were regularly published in the German media. Kehl’s departure from Dortmund, while abrupt, had long felt politically inevitable, even if no fair assessment of his role can ever be truly binary.”