'You're a poor man's Jose Mourinho' - ex-Spurs scout digs at Tottenham boss
Roberto De Zerbi's tendency to pick problems with upper management could become a issue for Tottenham Hotspur.
That is the opinion of former senior Tottenham scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Tottenham have given De Zerbi an unprecedented five-year contract and are backing him with huge funding this summer, with the spending expected to far surpass £300million.
Decision-makers in North London clearly believe that those same issues will not crop up for the Italian, but the concerns remain.
Should the opening months of the season produce issues on the pitch, issues off them could appear just as quickly.
Roberto De Zerbi 'likes to be in charge'
Brighton were incredibly disappointed to see De Zerbi leave in 2024. The Italian had arrived to replace Graham Potter, and led the Seagulls to their best-ever league finish at the end of the 2022-23 season.
But he disagreed with the way the club continued to operate in the transfer market, and chairman Tony Bloom was not willing to enlist a different approach to the one that has served them so well.
The parties decided to mutually part ways, and the manager was appointed by Marseille.
Again, De Zerbi was successful there and guided them to second in the 2024-25 campaign, but problems emerged.
Some damaging results and a complete breakdown in relationship with certain players saw the Italian and Marseille mutually agree to part ways in February.
"I feel he's a poor man's [Jose] Mourinho in that aspect, because that's where Mourinho always found his problems, wasn't it? It wasn't on the pitch or with the players," King told Football Insider.
"It was always the people that thought they controlled him. I don't think the Serbian likes being told exactly what to do. He knows what he's got to do. But football today, unfortunately, the coaches don't own the team.
"All they have to do is produce the results on the pitch, and if you don't produce the results on the pitch [you get sacked]. He likes to be in charge. For me, he's a poor man's Mourinho in that aspect."
What has De Zerbi said about the Tottenham board?
The Tottenham board have taken massive criticism from fans over the years, and have been accused of prioritising finances over the team's success.
Consecutive seasons of fighting relegation appear to have changed things, with Daniel Levy's exit last year preceding this summer's busy transfer window.
"The problem is not the league. The problem is to keep the relationship with the board and to have the same ideas in the project," De Zerbi said when asked in April about his future at Tottenham. "Yes. Everyone on the same page."
The Lilywhites would ultimately survive relegation, and now look to be targeting a return to the top this season.