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football.london reporters have picked their Tottenham starting XI for Sunday's Premier League trip to Sunderland

Tottenham are ready to wipe the slate clean under new boss Roberto De Zerbi when they travel to Sunderland in the Premier League this weekend.

Spurs have just seven games to preserve their top-flight status and the clock is now ticking for the Europa League winners in their quest to beat the drop.

De Zerbi has already lost forward Mohammed Kudus to a fresh injury setback while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario won't be ready to face the Black Cats following recent hernia surgery.

football.london reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor have had their go at selecting the Tottenham XI De Zerbi should pick against Sunderland.

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Alasdair Gold - Chief Tottenham Reporter

Antonin Kinsky will be the goalkeeper with Guglielmo Vicario still recovering from his hernia operation and the Czech stopper will be looking to put that night in Madrid far in his rear view mirror.

De Zerbi has spoken about Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie in glowing terms and looking to recreate their impact in Ange Postecoglou's season so that looks to be his first choice back four.

He also named Dominic Solanke as another crucial senior player with the first three of those defenders, while also praising various attackers and the midfield youngsters Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Xavi Simons. De Zerbi admitted that he had tried to sign Mathys Tel while at Marseille so he is someone he will look to further up the pitch.

The key is finding balance and whether he can fit them all in as well as a fighter like the versatile Richarlison and the same goes for the midfield with plenty of options in there, including Yves Bissouma back in training and a player in Conor Gallagher who he also wanted to sign in the past..

The Italian will likely go to his favoured 4-2-3-1 and it's going to be key to get the right blend and balance of players for it.

Gold's team: Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Palhinha; Kolo Muani, Xavi, Tel; Solanke.

Ryan Taylor

Antonin Kinsky obviously starts between the sticks but it's hard to envisage what system De Zerbi will go with given he usually pivots between two different formations: 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-2-1, which he utilised at Marseille.

I'm going to go for the latter as it's important Spurs sure things up defensively. Micky van de Ven, Cuti Romero and Kevin Danso make up the back-three with Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro operating as wing-backs.

Archie Gray (No.6) and Lucas Bergvall (No.8) play in midfield with Mathys Tel and Richarlison feeding off Dominic Solanke in attack.

It feels a tad unbalanced but ultimately, some players just do not suit this system and the lack of a right-sided attacking player is an issue De Zerbi must navigate.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Xavi Simons start either, in my opinion, it would work better with both him and Tel behind Solanke as both are slightly more mobile than Richarlison, who is a natural striker.

A number of players could be missing for Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge of Tottenham as the Italian prepares to deal with a long list of absentees

Roberto De Zerbi could be without 10 players for his first game as the new Tottenham head coach. Spurs travel to Sunderland on Sunday looking to record their first win in 2026 and boost their Premier League survival hopes.

The north London club dropped into the bottom three on Friday following West Ham's win against Wolves and are facing a fight to avoid falling into the second tier for the first time since 1977. They sit in 18th, two points behind the Hammers and 16th-place Nottingham Forest.

With seven matches to go, De Zerbi, 46, has a huge task on his hands to first keep Spurs in the top flight following his appointment as the club's new head coach earlier this month. The Italian was appointed on a lucrative five-year contract following Igor Tudor's dismissal.

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But De Zerbi could be missing TEN first-team players for his side's trip to the Stadium of Light. Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus are long-term absentees and remain out.

Ben Davies is expected to be back in late-April but won't return for Sunderland. Rodrigo Bentancur and Guglielmo Vicario are pushing to be fit for the home game against Brighton next week, while Yves Bissouma, Mathys Tel and Pape Matar Sarr are facing a race against time to feature to take on Sunderland.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi first issued an update on Kudus, who has suffered a setback in his recovery from a long-term quadricep injury.

"I started not with too big luck, but yes, Kudus was in my head a crucial player, especially for the position, but we have to look forward anyway," De Zerbi said.

De Zerbi then talked about Vicario, who underwent hernia surgery following the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last month, and Bentancur as he prepares to return from a thigh issue.

"Vicario is not ready for this game," De Zerbi added. "I hope he comes back earlier next week, but I don't know yet. Bentancur is working with us, but not completely, but we are enough to fight, to play and to make points."

The new Tottenham Hotspur head coach has been speaking about what he plans to do with the north London club in the weeks and years ahead

Roberto De Zerbi wants to bring back the attacking verve of Ange Postecoglou's first season to take Tottenham to the top of the Premier League after first keeping them in it.

The Italian shelved his plans to rest until the summer after leaving Marseille to get started at relegation-threatened Spurs. The north London club have seven games of the season to go and are in all kinds of trouble in 18th place in the table after West Ham's emphatic 4-0 victory against Wolves.

While Thomas Frank bewilderingly declared in his first press conference last summer that Tottenham would lose matches - and they did - De Zerbi is focused on taking Spurs to the top after first saving them from the drop.

De Zerbi's tenures at Brighton and Marseille ended after 19 months apiece but after penning a big money, five-year contract at Tottenham, the 46-year-old intends to be in it for the long-term and take the club to the other end of the Premier League.

"In my plan for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I'm not speaking about the titles because it's not the right moment now, but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level," he said.

De Zerbi stressed that joining early was never about the money, with his deal reportedly worth £12million a year.

"No, you can find the right answer in my history, because I left a lot of money in my life, and the money never changed my focus on my work," he said. "For me, it's not a problem, this situation for Tottenham. You have to have a longer vision. The focus is on this season, these seven games, to keep in the Premier League and then we will see."

De Zerbi is Spurs' fourth head coach in nine months after Ange Postecoglou was sacked weeks after ending the club's trophy drought with the Europa League triumph last summer. The more pragmatic Frank and Igor Tudor followed but did not last.

The new man in the hot seat wants to bring more of the attacking flair that Tottenham showed in the first season of Postecoglou's reign, rather than giving up possession as they did under his successors.

"I want to keep the ball. I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with Postecoglou because in my second season in Brighton, there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play," said De Zerbi.

"With Pedro Porro, Udogie, Van de Ven, with Romero and I would like to see it again."

De Zerbi has had little time for anything else in his first week outside of football as he has worked to get his core beliefs across to the players, mainly the mental aspect of the game.

"I’ve had a lot of individual meetings with the players. A lot. I’ve spoken with all players. I analysed Sunderland because it is a tough game. They are playing a great season with very good players and a very good coach," said the new head coach.

"I have no time to think of other things. Just football, just meeting the players, organising, transferring and finding the best way to transfer my ideas, two or three, not too many ideas, that I want to see on the pitch from Sunday."

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Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will not be fit yet after his hernia surgery for De Zerbi's debut in the dugout at Sunderland on Sunday. That means Antonin Kinsky will take to the pitch for the first time since being hauled off by Tudor just 17 minutes into his gaffe-strewn horror show at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

De Zerbi is not worried about a repeat against another team in red and white stripes this weekend though and while he has spoken to many of the players in the past week, he has not felt the need to put an arm around the 23-year-old Czech stopper.

"I didn't speak yet with him because I think he doesn't need to speak too much," said the Italian. "I have confidence. He has to be strong, but he is strong enough to show what he can do.

"Not more, not less. I think his qualities are enough to play at Tottenham. The other players believe in him. He has to stay calm and confident. He is playing at Tottenham, so he has to be stronger than the mistakes and move on."

De Zerbi was also asked whether he was surprised by the backlash to his comments about Mason Greenwood while he was at Marseille with the controversial former Manchester United striker.

Supporter groups Women of the Lane, Proud Lilywhites and Spurs Reach had all released statements with a 'No to De Zerbi' campaign and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust made their feelings on the 46-year-old clear. It came from him describing Greenwood as a "good guy" that had paid a "heavy price" and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described."

Ex-Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a young women after images and videos were posted online. The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 due to a "combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses" and "no realistic prospect of conviction".

Speaking in Italian on Friday to ensure he could make himself clear, De Zerbi said: "I wasn’t surprised [by the backlash]. I was a bit sad and sorry it happened, because I’m sorry if somebody took offence. I must repeat what I said the other time [in his club interview]. This topic is very close to me, I’m very sensitive about this topic, because of the person I am and because I have a daughter.

"And so I must repeat what I said the other time. I have always been against – always – any type of violence, especially against women. But not only violence – even just sexist jokes or other sexist behaviour. I have a daughter and I’m directly affected by it. I know who I am, I know the type of person I am, so I wasn’t annoyed by the questions – I’m just sad about them."

He added: "Yes [I hope the fans will accept the apology], also because I’m not going to go back over this topic. I spoke about it in my first interview, I spoke about it today, and it wouldn't be right to go back over this topic again."

De Zerbi explained why he believes he can save Tottenham from the drop.

"The qualities of the players. The guys know the situation is very difficult, but if you watch them against Liverpool and also Atletico Madrid in Madrid, they showed their qualities, they showed sometimes the right spirit. We have to show this for 90 minutes and we have to believe in ourselves," he said.

"The most important part in football is the mental part. You are used to speaking too much about the style of play, the tactical disposition, blah, blah, blah. But in the end, the mental part is crucial in every work, especially in football, especially in this moment in Tottenham."

On his players he added: "They are working very, very well. I’m not surprised, but it’s not normal after we didn’t win too many games in 2025 and we haven’t won any game so far in 2026.

"So you imagine the atmosphere inside of the dressing room, of the training ground, but it's not like this. I saw the players with energy, with the passion when in the meeting room and we are speaking about football, about two or three principles. They were on with the right focus, so I’m positive for that."

Here's every single word the new Tottenham Hotspur head coach said in his first press conference ahead of his debut against Sunderland

Roberto De Zerbi has held his first press conference as Tottenham boss ahead of his opening game in the dugout at Sunderland on Sunday.

The Italian is looking to lead Spurs to their first Premier League win in 2026 and then keep the north London club in the Premier League at the end of their final seven matches of the campaign. Ahead of that De Zerbi took his place in the press conference room at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon to speak to reporters about what lies ahead.

He spoke about the latest injury news, particularly that setback for Mohammed Kudus, as well as the players who will be key to him in his time at the club.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to De Zerbi. Here's the full transcript from the Italian's first press conference at Hotspur Way.

Have you enjoyed your first week at Tottenham Hotspur?

Yes, first of all, I'm proud and happy to be here. I have to say thanks to Vinai and Johan, because they showed me a big, big confidence. Now I have to work. Now we have to make points. I'm sure about the level of the players, because many players in the past I was very, very close to bring them in my former teams. They are working very well. I think I'm not better than Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor, because I consider them very good coaches. I try to bring my style, myself, my character, my personality, my passion, to help the players first of all to show their qualities, because they have a lot of qualities. And then to achieve our target, because the most important part now is our target.

Are you confident that you can keep this club in the Premier League?

Yes, yes. I knew before to work with them. I understood that they are good guys. The fans have to be happy, because all players are good guys. They are suffering for this difficult situation. I want to see (what they are like) in the game, because during the week it's easier. But I think the voice inside of the pitch has changed. I observed them at the beginning of my time last week, and now I'm more positive for sure.

If fans are still having concerns, what is your message to them?

I have not any message because also in the last game against Nottingham Forest, they were fantastic before the game. The message for my staff and for my players is we have to deserve their support because the fans are suffering like us, like the players, but the fans there is just one club and just one team. The players can change team and club, but the fans, it is unique their club and so we have to make happy our fans. Play well, with the right spirit, with the right attitude, with the right behaviour on the pitch and then it is easier to make points.

The big question for most is why now? Why take this job now?

Why now? Because you cannot consider your angle or how you look at the situation, from my perspective, it was a big opportunity because Tottenham is one of the most important clubs in Premier League and Premier League is best league in world. I know the qualities of the players. We have a lot of specific players for my style and then there was a crucial part that there was 12 days before first game. For me it was important to have not too much time, but 10 days, more than one week and I thought it could be important to understand the problems. I don’t want to give too many principles and too many instructions on the pitch if we are talking about just football, but organisation with the ball, without the ball, I hope in one week, 10 days, to reach this target for me.

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What is the nature of Mohammed Kudus’ injury and is he ruled out of this season and the World Cup?

Yes, I started not with too big luck! Yes, Kudus was in my head a crucial player, especially for the position, but we have to look forward anyway. I think we have a lot of very good attackers and we have to help them, to put them in the best condition to show their qualities because Kolo Muani I know he is not playing a great season, but he is a good player. I know him. Like I know Mathys Tel, I wanted him in Marseille when I was at Marseille, Xavi Simons is a big talent, Richarlison and Solanke you maybe know better than me but we have to put them in the best condition we can.

How is Guglielmo Vicario doing? Can any other players come back?

No, Vicario is not ready for this game. I hope he can come back earlier next week, but I don't know yet. Bentancur is working with us but not completely, but we have enough to fight to play, to make points.

You must be confident about keeping Spurs up as there is no relegation clause in your contract?

I believe to keep the Premier League, first of all. It has to be clear to everyone. I want to work in the Premier League and I believe I deserve to work in the Premier League. But the main sense of my work is more than the league. If I sign my contract in April I have to be ready to stay, no matter what, in the next season. I want to stay focused on Sunderland and the other six games. But my idea is very clear.

How do you convince players who might be wanting to leave this summer?

It’s not important for me now. Now we have to push altogether, all players and staff in the training and all fans inside the stadium, to achieve our goal. And then we will see. For sure I don’t want players if they don’t want to stay. I have my contract for five years - for sure I want to say my opinion on the transfer market because I am a coach, but I want to see the players happy to work in this club.

You mentioned your style quite a few times. It was good to watch at Brighton and Spurs fans like a certain style, going back to the 70s with Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles, your style and Spurs, are they the ideal marriage, the ideal fit?

Listen, my style is one part, about the style of play and one part about the character, the personality. I have no time enough to work in the principle or in build-up so much, or in the last 20 metres. I want to give organisation with the ball and without the ball. Two principles without the ball, three principles, four more. Something more in possession, in offensive phase and that's it.

What I want to do, what I want to achieve immediately is the character, is the right spirit, the right courage to play, to attack. Because the DNA of this club, of this squad is to find the goal, to score. In this part I can be able to transfer, not in too much time, my principle.

You know a lot of these players from the outside, are there any in the last week of training that surprised you when you've seen them up close, maybe younger players like Archie Gray or Lucas Bergvall?

In the last period I watched a lot of games, especially of Tottenham. Yes, one thing is to watch the game at home and a different thing is to work with them on the pitch.

We have very big players, young players, Bergvall, Archie Gray, Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons, but anyway we have older players that are very important. Van der Ven is a crucial player for me, like Romero, like Porro, like Solanke. I want to see again the same Gallagher I loved in Chelsea at the time.

I think I'm lucky because I have a big confidence in my players, their qualities and for me my target is to help them to play well, to enjoy with the ball because their characteristics are very clear for me.

You've only brought in two coaches with you that you've worked with in the past. You normally bring at least six or seven that you know with you. Does that make it any more difficult to get your ideas across quickly?

It's totally different this situation because we have no time to work like in Brighton or Marseille or in other places I've been and I don't want to put confusion inside of the players. They have to be with a clear plan of the game and not too much instruction, not too much thinking.

They have to run where is the ball, they have to play with courage, with personality and they have to fight. That's it. For me, my demand is to show the right spirit I want to see.

You've signed a long contract, normally you spend a certain amount of time at clubs, maybe not long term. What makes you think Tottenham is the one that maybe you will settle down at for longer?

I stayed three years in Sassuolo and then I left from Ukraine when the war started. In Brighton I left for different problems and in Marseille maybe the same. I would like to stay four or five, for a long time. I don't know how many years but in Marseille like this because in Marseille my idea was to stay for a long time.

Then you have to speak with the club and when you have a different view of football or other things you have to leave money and you have to leave. But in my plan for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I'm not speaking about the titles because it's not the right moment now, but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level.

Tottenham defender Luka Vuskovic will not be available to feature for Hamburg this weekend in their Bundesliga clash at Stuttgart

Hamburg boss Merlin Polzin has confirmed Tottenham loanee Luka Vuskovic has picked up a knee issue.

The Croatia international has been a key figure for HSV since moving on loan to Germany at the start of the season.

However, he is set to sit out of this weekend's trip to Stuttgart due to what's been described as 'knee contusion'.

There is good news for Spurs though as the problem is not though to be serious and there's hope he could be ready to return against Werder Bremen on April 18.

Polzin said during a press conference on Friday: "Luka has a bruised knee and will therefore miss the upcoming match.

"He's doing everything he can to take care of himself and be ready to play. But he's not available, so it's about preparing the other guys well and giving them the confidence they need to perform well."

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Vuskovic is set for a well-earned rest after also featuring twice for Croatia during their recent international friendlies in the United States against Colombia and Brazil.

The 19-year-old centre-back scored in the 2-1 triumph over Colombia and is now pushing to secure a starting berth for his country at this summer's World Cup finals.

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has already confirmed Vuskovic will be part of his squad while Tottenham are expected to make a decision on the player's future following the tournament.

The teenager recently confirmed he expects to head back to Spurs this summer for pre-season despite widespread transfer interest in his signature.

He told German media: "After this season, I’ll be a Tottenham player again. I have a contract there until 2030."

Barcelona are monitoring Vuskovic, though you would expect new Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi to cast an eye over the Croat during pre-season given he has excelled in the Bundesliga with HSV this season.

Vuskovic has already said on record that he'd be interested in returning to Hamburg on loan for another season if the Europa League winners cannot provide him with assurances over minutes.

His brother Mario is due to return from a doping ban later in the year and re-signing on loan would offer Vuskovic the chance to play alongside his sibling at club level.

Roberto De Zerbi is speaking to the media for the first time as Tottenham boss on Friday afternoon ahead of his debut in the dugout at Sunderland this weekend.

The Italian will take charge of his Spurs team for the first time on Sunday afternoon when the north London side make the trip to the Stadium of Light with the hope of recording their first Premier League win in 2026. The new boss wants to keep Tottenham in the Premier League at the end of their final seven matches of the campaign.

First De Zerbi will take his seat in the press conference room at Hotspur Way on Friday, speaking to the media about what lies ahead, including the latest injury news, particularly that setback for Mohammed Kudus. football.london will be bringing you a live blog from the press conference below, then a full transcript afterwards with everything the 46-year-old said in the main broadcast section and also later on what he said in the embargoed section for the daily newspapers.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to De Zerbi. Scroll down for the latest updates from the Italian's first press conference at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham Hotspur will have to make significant cuts if they're relegated from the Premier League, and Roberto De Zerbi is under pressure to deliver top-flight status.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed Tottenham Hotspur will need to make £130million in savings if they're relegated from the Premier League. The Lilywhites are in grave danger of falling into the Championship, with just a point, and a sizeable goal difference, separating them from West Ham in the bottom three.

In fact, the Hammers could leapfrog Spurs when they face Wolves on Friday night. If Nuno Espirito Santo's side leave Molineux with three points, Tottenham won't have the chance to climb out of the drop zone until Sunday afternoon, when they take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

With hundreds of millions on the line, Roberto De Zerbi has been tasked with keeping the Lilywhites in the English top-flight. According to Maguire, Tottenham could lose as much as £275million if they're relegated from the Premier League.

Speaking recently on The Sports Agents podcast, the football accountancy expert said: "I reckon it’s going to be somewhere in the region of £250million to £275million compared to the current season.

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"That's taking into consideration the fact that Spurs have the second highest yield in terms of how much they extract per fan, per match. It's a very sophisticated operation they have… Then, of course, there won’t be the participation in Europe next season."

Even if Tottenham were to cut spending on wages by a third, they'd still boast a record wage bill in the Championship. Maguire continued: "Spurs have already got a very high wage bill by the standards, even of the Premier League.

"It's well over £200 million. And if that was reduced by a third, it would still be by far the record wage bill for the Championship."

In order to balance the books, Maguire reckons Tottenham would need to make £130million in savings. He added: "Spurs this season, even if they finish in the bottom three, are likely to be in receipt of £120million to £130million pounds of broadcast income.

"They've also been in the Champions League. I think you can add £50million pounds to that, so that's £175million. Next season, that's going to drop to around about £45million. So, somewhere the club has got to make £130million worth of savings."

Last week, De Zerbi outlined his plan to keep Spurs in the Premier League. In an interview with club media, the Italian said: "I'm very happy and very proud to be here. I consider Tottenham one of the most important clubs in the world, so I'm very happy.

"I have a big responsibility, it's a big challenge and I'm looking forward to start and to work with the players and to win some games. I watched a lot of games, especially in the last period. I know very well the players.

"I love football, so I watch many, many games per week. I know everything. I know it's a tough moment for Tottenham, I know very well it's a tough moment. It's a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham.

"I think we have the right qualities to come out from this moment. I believe in the players. I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have very big players and we have to work on their confidence and the qualities of them.

"They have to show what they are and what they are used to playing."

Turning his attention to the clash in the North East, the Spurs gaffer said: "I think we have to be focused just on the Sunderland game. I don't want to listen to people speaking about the schedule or the Brighton game or the Wolverhampton game.

"Game by game, we have to prepare the players to win the game and to be focused just on the game. We have to play with courage. We have to play with the qualities of the players, because if I accepted this challenge, it's because I have a big confidence in the players and the history of Tottenham football is a very clear style of play.

"We are lucky, I am lucky, because I have big players with big talent and my work is to help the players to show their qualities."

Roberto De Zerbi has signed a long-term contract with Tottenham Hotspur as he looks to steer the club from the grips of relegation and will lean on the club's current captain to do so

Roberto De Zerbi believes that Cristian Romero could be "the most important player" in his squad, as he wastes no time in building a bond with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Italian signed a long-term contract with the Lilywhites last month as a replacement to Igor Tudor - who lasted just 44 days at the helm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Croatian was unable to pick up the pieces left in the wake of Thomas Frank's sacking in February, as Spurs stare down the barrel of a relegation battle in the latter stages of the season.

At the time of writing, the club are 17th in the Premier League standings, just one point clear of the drop zone with seven games to go.

Fans in north London will hope that De Zerbi will be able to inspire his first-team to avoid Championship football for 2026/27, but has very limited time to do so.

However, the 46-year-old has wasted very little time in outlining the players who will be instrumental to his plans over the next couple of months - starting with club captain, Romero.

Speaking with NBC Sports, De Zerbi said of the centre-half: "I think Cuti is crucial for us, crucial for Tottenham as a club. He is the captain, he is maybe the most important player in our squad, and to achieve our goal, we need the best of Romero."

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Elsewhere, the head coach also hinted that Richarlison will be a major part of Spurs late fightback in the English top flight. He added: "Richarlison can play in different positions.

"He’s a good guy, he’s a clean guy, he’s a honest guy. I like him, as a player, as a mentality, as an attitude. In the same position, we can play with different players, but I think, to achieve our target, we need Richarlison in the best way possible."

A seasoned manager who knows the trials and tribulations of the Premier League, De Zerbi enjoyed a largely successful coaching spell with Brighton between 2022 and 2024 before moving on to Marseille.

He left the Ligue 1 giants via mutual consent in February following an exit from the Champions League, as he now looks for a fresh start in the capital.

His first test will see him travel with the Lilywhites to the Stadium of Light to take on a tough-to-break-down Sunderland AFC.

The new Tottenham boss is set to take charge of his first game and one of his former players have been raving about his coaching

One of new Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi's former players has hailed him as "one of the best coaches in the world" and claims he dazzled him with his methods.

The Italian will hold his first press conference as Spurs boss on Friday afternoon ahead of his debut in the dugout for the north London club at Sunderland on Sunday. The Tottenham players have already been impressed by his methods and one of his former players during his spell at Shakhtar Donetsk, midfielder Artem Bondarenko, said De Zerbi will be perfect for the Premier League outfit.

"He was a maestro for me. I had just arrived in the first team and, I must admit, if he didn't teach me everything, he taught me almost everything! I am convinced that even now that he is at Tottenham, he will do very well, for me, he is one of the best coaches in the world," he told Flashscore.

"He taught me many things, he showed me, first and foremost, how to hit the ball with my left foot and, every time, he made me learn something new. I was dazzled by his methods, not only by the way he approached me. He was wonderful. He taught me so much."

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So did the 25-year-old Ukrainian pick up any Italian words from the head coach? "Tutto bene! The other phrases or expressions, however, I cannot say. They are all swear words!" he said with a laugh.

Tottenham Hotspur have provided an update on midfielder Mohammed Kudus who has been out injured since January

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his return from injury. The midfielder has been out of action since January after injuring his calf during Spurs' 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland.

It was hoped that the extended break would have given Kudus more time to get closer to a return after so long out. But he was not in the background of photos or footage from Roberto de Zerbi's first session as Tottenham Hotspur head coach - leading to fears that he had suffered a setback.

And those concerns have been realised after Spurs confirmed on Thursday evening that the former Ajax star faces a further period out, with no time frame for his return.

A club statement said: "We can confirm that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his return from injury.

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"The Ghana international forward suffered a significant quad injury during our Premier League fixture against Sunderland in January.

"He had returned to team training during the past week, however he will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery. We will provide any relevant further updates in due course."

Spurs' former interim head coach Igor Tudor had provided a positive update on the attacker before his departure.

The 47-year-old said: "So we have this big three weeks after the game on Sunday. He will probably do some part of the things with the squad maybe 10 days [after the break].

"I don’t know I’m not sure. We need to check but he is progressing very well. Already a little bit with the ball."

The 25-year-old had provided nine goal involvements in 24 Premier League and Champions League matches for Spurs before his injury.

However, news of his injury setback is another blow to Tottenham as they look to avoid a disastrous relegation from the Premier League. De Zerbi's team currently sit 17th in the top-flight table - just a point clear of the bottom three.

And Spurs could find themselves in the relegation zone by the time they kick off at Sunderland on Sunday, with the team directly below them, West Ham, kicking off at home to bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Friday night.