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Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur is fast approaching, and all eyes will be on his team selection as Spurs head into a high-stakes clash at Sunderland. We have now put together our ideal Tottenham starting XI for the clash against the Black Cats.

Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as Tottenham Hotspur boss is not too far away now, as Spurs prepare to take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

It is a big encounter for Tottenham, who will be desperate to secure a victory, especially when a loss could see them drop into the relegation places if West Ham United beats Wolves on Friday.

A victory, though, could see Spurs go as high as 15th if results elsewhere go their way. De Zerbi will be well aware of the stakes coming into that fixture, and he will be keen to get his team selection right.

We have now put together the XI we want to see on Sunday when Spurs face Sunderland in the Premier League.

Tottenham XI vs Sunderland as Roberto De Zerbi prepares debut

We already know that in goal, Antonin Kinsky is perhaps pretty much nailed on for Sunday, as Guglielmo Vicario continues to recover from his hernia surgery.

Vicario has been playing through pain for months now before going under the knife after Spurs’ 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest.

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Kinsky, who is great with the ball at his feet, could well elevate Tottenham’s in-possession setup as they look to adapt to life under De Zerbi.

In front of the Czech international, we expect that there will be a shift from the back three we have seen several times this season under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.

De Zerbi is more likely to go with a four at the back, and the centre-backs we would rather see are Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

The Spurs captain was impressive when on international duty with Argentina, and many Tottenham fans will be hoping he brings such form back to north London.

At full-back, we have both Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro as our preferred picks. Udogie offers a better balance in attack, given that he is left-footed.

He is also capable of inverting, should De Zerbi choose to set up that way. On the other side, Porro can also be deployed similarly, offering Spurs some tactical flexibility against the Black Cats.

Spurs midfield and attack selection to shape De Zerbi debut

In the middle of the park, we would love to see some energy, and we believe that Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall can bring exactly that.

De Zerbi is reported to be keen on bringing Manuel Locatelli to north London, but we do think that, in the meantime, Gray can bring a similar quality to the midfield.

This season, the youngster has only gone from strength to strength and has added much variety to his play in the middle of the park.

He is capable of starting off attacks, spraying long balls, pushing forward, while also dropping in between the two centre-backs.

Bergvall can serve as a box crasher, although De Zerbi might look for more solidity in the middle, and Palhinha could well be fielded.

In front of the pivot, it would be nice to see Xavi Simons dictate play and offer some creativity. Jamie O’Hara has already called for De Zerbi to look to get the most out of Simons, and many fans will get behind that.

If the Dutchman can find some rhythm in this side, then he offers a solution to breaking down stubborn defences for Tottenham.

Out wide, Mathys Tel has looked really bright on the left for Tottenham. His directness and his ability to take players on will surely give Spurs a different dimension in attack.

We already know De Zerbi encourages such creativity from wide areas, as we saw with Mitoma when he was at Brighton. If Tel can add an end product to his game, he will be a top player for the Italian.

On the right side should be Mohammed Kudus. However, it remains to be seen if Kudus is fit enough, since he was not spotted in training.

Tudor, though, revealed a few weeks back that Kudus will return after the break, and if that is the case, then we want to see him line up on the right against Sunderland.

Richarlison might not be the most technical of the players in the Tottenham front line, but what you get with the Brazilian is much-needed fight.

He has been in a relegation scrap in the past at his former clubs and is one of the few who understand what is needed in this battle.

De Zerbi has already hinted that all his principles might not be passed across now, and that could well work for Richarlison, who should bag more goals in a fluid attacking system.

A senior Tottenham star has reportedly decided that he will not be staying at the club beyond the summer after concerns over his treatment.

One would expect big changes at Spurs this summer, even if the club stay in the Premier League, with the Lilywhites now at the start of yet another rebuild after turning to Roberto De Zerbi.

De Zerbi has reportedly been given a lot of power in Tottenham’s squad building, and he will be keen to make the changes necessary to implement his favoured possession-based approach.

However, it turns out that one senior Spurs star has already decided that he will not be staying at the club under the Italian next season.

Yves Bissouma makes a Tottenham decision after being unhappy with the treatment

Football Fancast have now alleged that Yves Bissouma is not happy with how he has been treated at Tottenham over the last couple of years.

The midfielder, who is one of the club’s lowest earners at £55,000-a-week, did not like the fact that both Thomas Frank and Ange Postecoglou dropped him from the squad on multiple occasions.

Although Bissouma’s Spurs contract has a one-year extension option, the midfielder has no intention of staying at the club beyond the end of this term.

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The 29-year-old is set to avoid the one-year extension to facilitate a move away from North London this summer. It has previously been reported that Tottenham are also in favour of ignoring Bissouma’s one-year extension option.

Bissouma’s agent is in talks with a European club

Football Fancast reveal that the former Brighton man’s representatives have already started working on finalising a move away from Spurs for their client.

It is asserted that Bissouma’s agent is currently in talks with Fenerbahce over a switch to the Turkish club in the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race to sign a highly-rated young defender, who is quickly making a name for himself with his performances in Germany.

With both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven being linked with moves away from Tottenham, the Lilywhites potentially face the prospect of rebuilding their defence in the summer.

The good news for the club is that Luka Vuskovic has made it clear that he will be a Spurs player next season, and Tottenham fans will be hoping the Croat is ready to make the jump after impressing in the Bundesliga.

It has now emerged that another teenager who is thriving in the German top-flight is also on the Lilywhites’ radar.

Tottenham plotting summer move for Karim Coulibaly

Football Fancast have now claimed that Tottenham have now entered the race to sign Werder Bremen centre-back Karim Coulibaly.

The 18-year-old has shown maturity beyond his years in what has been a breakthrough campaign for him, making 22 league appearances so far.

Coulibaly is said to be open to a move away from Bremen this summer, and Tottenham Hotspur have now added him to their shortlist ahead of De Zerbi’s first transfer window this summer.

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The outlet claims that with the youngster contracted to Werder until 2029, the Bundesliga club could demand up to €50m (£43.6m) for his services.

Spurs face competition from Premier League rivals for Coulibaly

Tottenham are not the only English side chasing the German U21 international, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that Newcastle United are also involved in the race.

The journalist asserted that the Magpies are one of six clubs that are’ very keen’ on securing Coulibaly’s signature this summer.

A couple of days ago, Romano wrote on X: “Big race started to sign Werder Bremen 18-year-old centre back Karim Coulibaly in the summer. Newcastle are involved, as BILD reported, with 5 more clubs around Europe also very keen. German youth international, prepared for a new chapter in the summer.”

Roberto De Zerbi will finally get a chance to work with a player he has long admired now that they are both together at Tottenham Hotspur.

The new Spurs manager is getting to know his new squad, having walked through the door at Tottenham just last week.

According to reports, many Spurs players have raved about their first few training sessions with De Zerbi, who appears to have made a strong first impression on the players.

Tottenham fans have been busy speculating which players their new head coach will favour, and it turns out that the Italian is a big fan of one Spurs winger.

Roberto De Zerbi tried to sign Tottenham star Mohammed Kudus in the past

Jack Pitt-Brooke has now revealed that there is at least one player in the Spurs squad whom the Italian has been keen to work with.

The journalist revealed that De Zerbi has tried to sign Mohammed Kudus in the past and suggested that the Ghanaian could be an ideal fit for the former Brighton boss’s system.

Pitt-Brooke said on The View From The Lane podcast: “Kudus has obviously not played for a few months with an injury, but he’s been improving. He’s been, I don’t know exactly where he is at the moment, in terms of time scale to return.

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“But I think I’m right in saying that De Zerbi tried to sign him for Brighton when he was at Ajax, or at least Brighton tried to sign him when De Zerbi was there.

“I think, someone said to me the other day, he could actually be a perfect fit for how De Zerbi wants to play, right, because he wants the kind of strikers to sort of pull off and create space, which the wingers can kind of attack in behind. I mean Spurs have not had a lot of that recently.”

When is Kudus expected to return for Spurs?

It was initially reported that Kudus was set to return to action after the international break, with the winger having been out of action since January with a hamstring injury.

However, there have been no signs of the 25-year-old in Tottenham’s training clips as De Zerbi put the squad through some drills.

Tottenham Hotspur fans will love what Mikey Moore has said about his long-term ambitions at the North London club.

The attacking midfielder was always considered a special talent while coming through the age group ranks at Spurs, and he showed why when he got opportunities in the Europa League last season.

Moore has taken his game to a new level on loan at Rangers this season, becoming one of the Scottish club’s most important players after a difficult start to his spell up north.

The 18-year-old admits it is not easy to watch Spurs struggle this season, and he has a clear long-term goal in mind on his return to North London.

Mikey Moore wants to win more trophies at Tottenham

The youngster received a Europa League winner’s medal in his first full season in senior football last season, although he did not feature much in the latter stages of the competition.

Having got a taste of silverware with Spurs, Moore is now determined to win more trophies and add to his Tottenham legacy.

The 18-year-old told the club’s official channel: “I just want to go back to Tottenham and hopefully get myself a place in the team. Obviously, we have got that experience of winning that trophy in the Europa League and that’s what I want to do at Tottenham. I just want to bring them special moments to the fans, really.”

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Moore wants to return to Spurs as a league champion

Before he returns to his parent club this summer, there is the small matter of the Scottish Premiership title race that the youngster is focused on.

Rangers sit just one point behind league leaders Hearts with six games left, and the Tottenham man is enjoying the pressure of the title race.

Speaking about his time in Glasgow, he said: “I have had a bit of everything in four-five months, and now we have got a chance to go and win a title. There is a title race going on, and at my age, that is what you want.

“You want to be involved in those games and be under that pressure. It has kind of been perfect for me so far. Hopefully, in April and May we are in a good position to push for the title. There are some huge games to look forward to.”

Danny Murphy has made a revelation about Roberto De Zerbi’s methods that will excite Tottenham Hotspur fans ahead of seven big finals.

The Italian has only been in charge of the North London club for a few days, but the early signs are very positive.

Reports indicate that De Zerbi left the Tottenham players extremely impressed in his first few training sessions with the full squad.

Spurs fans will be desperately hoping that De Zerbi can get an instant reaction from the players, and they will be excited by what one pundit has revealed about their new head coach.

Danny Murphy makes an exciting revelation about new Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi

The players who have worked with De Zerbi have waxed lyrical about him, and they are in no doubt that the 46-year-old will get Tottenham out of trouble.

Murphy has shared that he got a chance to see the Italian coach work up close during his time at Brighton, and admitted that the new Spurs boss has an aura.

The former Spurs midfielder told talkSPORT about his experience of watching De Zerbi: “The sessions were quality. He was doing a session where they were working through the lines and the intensity he had and what he was demanding, the football was good and I liked what I said.

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“And speaking to him, he had a presence, he had a bit about him. You know when you’re with someone and they’ve got a bit of an aura, some grit, some belief in himself, some gravitas.

“I remember watching his Brighton teams and thinking, ‘They know what they’re doing, you can see that they’ve been coached and they’ve got a method’.”

Murphy does not expect De Zerbi to instantly change Spurs’ style

The new Tottenham boss has made it clear that he favours a possession-based, attacking style of football, but Murphy does not expect to see that for the time being at Spurs.

The pundit believes that the Italian will not risk setting Tottenham up too open in their final seven games of the season, with the club’s Premier League status on the line.

Murphy added: “I’d be amazed if I see Spurs go to Sunderland in his first game and start trying to play through the Sunderland press in front of their crowd. No, he’s not daft.

“He’s got to get them to the summer and keep them in the Prem. And then what you’ll see is a progression of Tottenham’s football and a definitive way of playing.”

Fiorentina could be on the hunt to sign not one but two fringe Tottenham Hotspur players in the summer transfer window.

With Tottenham starting another new project under Roberto De Zerbi, the Lilywhites may be set for another busy summer transfer window with plenty of incomings and outgoings.

Reports indicate that De Zerbi will have a major say on Spurs’ squad building, and one would expect the Italian to put his own imprint on the squad to suit his preferred possession-based style of play.

It has now emerged that one defender who was heavily linked with a move away from N17 in January may be on his way back to Serie A.

Fabio Paratici could look to take Radu Dragusin to Fiorentina

Tottenham reportedly rejected loan approaches from Serie A clubs for Dragusin in January, and it has been suggested over recent weeks that the Spurs defender could attract interest from Italy again this summer.

Journalist Niccolò Ceccarini has now revealed that the defender did not want to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the winter despite being on the wishlist of several Serie A sides.

He suggested that Paratici, who is now Fiorentina’s head of football, could attempt to take the Romanian to Florence for €20m (£17.4m) this summer.

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Ceccarini said (via Fiorentina News): “In January, Drăgușin was a fairly high-profile target, but he wasn’t very happy about leaving Tottenham and wanted to take his chances at a slightly more ambitious club. In the end, between Roma and Milan, nothing new happened, and the boy remained in London.

“The Drăgușin situation could reopen this summer. Between Paratici and Tottenham’s valuation. The story could reopen this summer: Paratici knows Drăgușin very well, and he’s keen to return to Italy. For Fiorentina, with a significant offer, he’s an opportunity. He’s valued at €20m, and this summer, he could forcefully resurface on Fiorentina’s radar.”

Fiorentina also have Manor Solomon on loan from Tottenham and have been tipped to trigger their £8.7m purchase clause this summer.

Why Dragusin’s Spurs exit may not be set in stone

Over the past few months, a number of outlets have suggested that Micky van de Ven’s head has been turned by interest from the European elite.

Some journalists have claimed that Cristian Romero could also be on his way out of Tottenham even if the club avoid relegation.

If the Dutchman and the Argentine are to depart, one would think that Spurs would not be in too much of a hurry to also get rid of Dragusin.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have another good reason to be excited about Luka Vuskovic ahead of his return to the club this summer.

The Croat had always carried the reputation of being a generational talent he has been able to back that up in his first taste of football at the highest level on loan at Hamburg.

Vuskovic was voted the Bundesliga’s player of the year for the first half of the season, even beating out Tottenham legend Harry Kane to the award.

Such has been the 19-year-old’s impact on the HSV backline, and the teenager is continuing to post some ridiculous numbers in Germany.

Astonishing Luka Vuskovic stat shows Tottenham man’s dominance

Data analysis platforms, such as WhoScored, have named Vuskovic in the Team of the Season across Europe’s top five leagues.

Stat Muse have now shared a new statistic about the Spurs starlet that shows just how dominant he is physically and aerially.

They have revealed that Vuskovic is the only player in Europe’s top five leagues to have over 100 clearances, over 100 ball recoveries, won over 100 duals, and over 100 aerial duals.

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Vuskovic has made a clear statement about his Spurs future

Over recent weeks, several reports have suggested that Luka Vuskovic is on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs ahead of the summer.

Some outlets had asserted that there were concerns at Tottenham that the centre-back could leave without playing a single game for them.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has provided an update on the future of Tottenham’s sporting director Johan Lange, and it may be popular with Spurs fans.

Lange, along with Tottneham’s CEO, Vinai Venkatesham, and other senior members of the club’s leadership, are under pressure after their mistakes this season.

Their decision to appoint Igor Tudor as the interim had disastrous consequences, with the Croat picking up just one point in his five Premier League games in charge.

There was also a lot of discontent among Tottenham fans regarding the club’s inactivity in the January window, and that is a mistake that the club could potentially pay for with relegation to the Championship.

Johan Lange’s position at Tottenham is under threat

It has been widely reported that Tottenham are looking for a new sporting director to replace Fabio Paratici, who departed after the January window, to take over as Fiorentina’s head of football.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has now revealed that Lange’s position at the club is also under ‘significant threat’ irrespective of whether Spurs stay up or go down.

Jacobs said on the Last Word on Spurs: “Sources in the sporting world indicate that Johan Lange’s position is under significant threat, regardless of whether the team stays in the league or gets relegated.”

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Roberto De Zerbi will have big say in Spurs’ sporting director search

Over recent weeks, some outlets have suggested that Tottenham may be in the final stages of appointing a new sporting director.

However, that process may have been interrupted by the club’s decision to bring forward their managerial appointment and hand Roberto De Zerbi a five-year contract.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed the key reason why Tottenham Hotspur chose to appoint Roberto De Zerbi rather than trying to bring Mauricio Pochettino back to the club.

Many Spurs fans had been dreaming of a reunion with Pochettino in the summer, and they hoped that the Argentine’s return would unite what appears to be a divided club at the moment.

A reunion appeared very much on the cards in the summer, with reports indicating that Pochettino was the Tottenham hierarchy’s top managerial target.

However, the Lilywhites have now bet big on Roberto De Zerbi, who has signed a five-year deal in North London and been tasked with saving the club from relegation and rebuilding the team.

Vivienne Lewis was against Tottenham rehiring Mauricio Pochettino

The De Zerbi appointment has surprised some, as many expected the Tottenham hierarchy to give fans what they want by re-hiring Pochettino.

Ben Jacobs has now revealed that senior figures at Spurs were against turning to the 54-year-old, as they felt hiring him would be a nod back to the Daniel Levy era.

The journalist said on The Last Word on Spurs: “My understanding about Pochettino is that there were senior figures at Tottenham against hiring him as it would be a nod back to the Daniel Levy era, even though it was understood it would be a popular move. Vivienne Lewis is understood to be one of those against rehiring Pochettino.”

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Pochettino ‘gutted’ after latest Spurs snub

According to a report in GiveMeSport, Pochettino is gutted that Tottenham have decided to hire De Zerbi, as he had his eyes set on a return to N17.

The outlet claimed that the former Spurs boss would have been one of the two leading candidates for the summer, alongside De Zerbi, if Tottenham had waited until the end of the season to make an appointment.

However, the report asserted that the Italian was always the Lilywhites’ preferred option over Pochettino.