Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 1 April 2026 15:30, UK

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Tottenham Hotspur have made their final play in their attempts to avoid relegation by appointing Roberto De Zerbi.

The Italian’s arrival was confirmed on Tuesday, with his first game in charge set to be at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland next week.

Interim manager Igor Tudor mutually agreed to walk away, with the Croatian dealing with a personal bereavement.

De Zerbi will have seven games to guide his team away from the relegation zone, with there currently being just one point standing in between.

Tottenham’s form would suggest that their chances are low, but decision-makers will hope the Italian’s arrival will result in a new manager bounce.

Supercomputer boosts Tottenham relegation chances

Former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider that Tottenham’s owners will cover losses if the club is relegated this season.

A drop to the Championship will inevitably have a devastating effect on the club’s finances, with the money in the Premier League far outweighing what the second tier can offer.

Tottenham have identified De Zerbi as the man to guide them away from the drop zone, however, and they have pushed the boat out to convince him of the same.

The 46-year-old has been handed a five-year contract with no relegation clause, with both parties indicating that they are in for the long haul.

Should Tottenham go down, however, it is unclear how strong that position truly will be.

Luckily, Opta‘s supercomputer retains the belief that they will stay up, although their chances of relegation have grown in the past nine days.

Immediately after Tottenham were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest, the supercomputer had given them a 23.33 per cent chance of going down. That number has risen by over three per cent since, to 27.47 per cent.

West Ham are still the 56.94 per cent favourites to join Burnley and Wolves, but the rise will be of grave concern in North London.

Roberto De Zerbi faces critical opening weekend

By the time Tottenham line up at the Stadium of Light, there is a very good chance that they are already sitting in the relegation zone.

West Ham will host Premier League bottom-club Wolves on the Friday, and will be confident of taking all three points.

The pressure will rise significantly at Tottenham if they do, and it is crucial that De Zerbi gets his players up for an immediate response.

They face a difficult test in Sunderland, but if they cannot immediately get out of the relegation zone, there is always a chance they may stay there.